Douglas Keddy is traveling more than 10,000 kilometres in a week’s time to help people he has never met. And Western’s Research Communications Coordinator can’t wait to go.
Keddy will be a team leader with the university’s annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program, set for the week of Feb. 15. He will be heading to Peru, where he and others will assist Nexos Voluntarios, a nonprofit organization that promotes social development through sustainable projects customized to local communities.
“I hope to experience a new culture, help pass on the spirit of engagement and to witness the transformation of several already great Western students as they take part in ASB – providing benefits to both the communities we’ll be visiting and to the students themselves.”
Since it’s inception in 2003 – when five students headed to Pittsburgh – the program has developed to include 150 students, more than a dozen staff and faculty and numerous other volunteers at eight locations.
“Western’s undergraduate students are passionate about community development, in both a local and global sense,” says Stephanie Hayne, co-coordinator of the program with Catherine Mulvihill.
“They see the benefit of engaging in projects that serve a real need in a community and contribute to their own learning.”
Jointly organized by Housing and Ancillary Services and The Student Success Centre, Hayne says the popularity has created waiting lists for the various experiences.
She says there’s a difficult balance between providing opportunities for students and keeping team sizes manageable and “ensuring each participant has a meaningful experience.”
Faculty and staff interest in being ‘team leaders’ has increased over the years.
While there were about 40 applications for 14 positions this year, she would like to see more applications from faculty members as a way of “introducing them to the pedagogy of service-learning with the hope that they might be interested in engaging with it in their academic lives, as well.”
Two team leaders will be blogging about their experiences.
Keddy, along with Rob Esselment (director of Government Relations) – who will be in New Orleans – will be sharing their experiences throughout the week.
The campus can follow their daily blog, and send messages to students and team leaders, at https://atwestern.typepad.com/asb2010/.
“We wanted to share a little bit about each of the team’s experiences, so all groups will be sending pictures to Western and we’ll be updating those regularly, as well,” says Hayne.
Upon their return, students and team leaders will share what they’ve learned with the campus community.
An Alternative Spring Break showcase is scheduled for Mar. 23 (3:30 – 5 p.m.) in the David S. Chu International Student Centre.
Where are they going? London – St. Leonard’s Community Services (www.st-leonards.com) helping youth in conflict with the law.
Winnipeg – Winnipeg Harvest (www.winnipegharvest.ca) (Canada’s largest food bank), and Siloam Mission (www.siloammission.com)
Little Rock, Arkansas – Heifer International Ranch (www.heifer.org) and Little Rock Habitat for Humanity (www.habitatpulaski.org)
New Orleans, Louisiana – New Orleans Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat-nola.org)
Peru – Nexos Voluntarios (www.nexosvoluntarios.org) providing children’s programs and construction projects
Nicaragua and Costa Rica – International Service Learning (www.islonline.org) in support of medical clinics
Dominican Republic – Orphanage Outreach (www.orphanage-outreach.org), providing programs and teaching English
