Editor’s note: If you are interested in Alternative Spring Break (ASB) as a faculty/staff team leader or participant, Organizers have scheduled an information session for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17 in University Community Centre 147A to answer your questions. Applications to participate in ASB are due at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24.
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Through Western’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program, we led an incredible team of 23 wonderfully insightful individuals who we now have the absolute pleasure of calling friends. Together with the ASB team, we worked alongside Outreach 360, an organization committed to providing quality education to youth in the Dominican Republic, as well as Nicaragua.
As a newly formed leadership team, we sat down for the first time in fall 2013 to create, build and begin working toward an extremely cohesive and dynamic group. After reading and reviewing nearly 100 applications, and after much deliberation and debate, Marg, Alberto and I chose our team. We all agree it more than met our expectations; they were, undoubtedly, the heart and soul of the trip.
Their experiences and stories, viewpoints and opinions, insights and reflections – all of these things, in combination with their overwhelmingly positive personalities are what truly made our experience remarkable.
We discussed at length how we wanted to be viewed as a leadership team. At our first meeting with the entire team, we established our expectations of them and their expectations of us. We wanted to make clear we are just as much participants as they are, that we are all part of the same team, the same familia. Yes, we were the ones who would constantly be bugging them for information, sending out countless emails and the ones who had to know (or at least appear to know) what was going on at all times.
Having said that, we wanted it known, despite our many hours of preparation and planning, there would be unplanned obstacles along the way, obstacles that would challenge us and our abilities. We were pushed to the edge of our comfort zones and beyond, and it was in overcoming these challenges that we experienced true success.
The team leaders were able to help students challenge themselves to think outside the box in terms of cultural norms. Our agreed upon team mission and vision statements reflected our collective thoughts and ideas and ‘can-do’ attitude toward making a difference in each other’s lives, as well as the lives of people we would encounter in the future. Empathy, kindness, respect, care and compassion were some of the many values that we embraced.
One key transformative aspect was re-discovering the resourcefulness, resilience and energy of this generation of students. Marg considered herself truly blessed to witness many moments of students’ personal growth and joy, and thrilled to be a part of such a transformative experience.
Alberto found he was challenged as a leader to overcome cultural, age and social differences. He has had very little contact with students in his work setting, and this experience allowed him to connect and walk along with them during the process. Our team was directly in line with Western’s strategic plan, and our group was a great ambassador in the Dominican Republic.
We all agreed the success of our joint leadership came from our willingness to participate, to be a part of the team, to share our perspectives without being overbearing and to show that we are far from perfect, that we may make mistakes.
Finally, we all agreed the reflection activities were an incredibly powerful tool, something we have incorporated into our lives since the ASB experience. Reflection allowed us to view the world through 25 other sets of eyes, to hear it with the ears of others, to experience the world as perhaps we ourselves could not.
I encourage anyone and everyone at Western to consider an Alternative Spring Break experience, as a participant, student team leader or staff/faculty leader. The growth we experienced is impactful, and the memories made will last much longer than the week we spent there.
Jared Boland, an Arts & Humanities undergraduate, served as ASB student team leader. Marg Cooper, Western Engineering undergraduate and international recruitment coordinator, and Alberto Alvarez, Financial Systems administrative assistant, served as ASB staff team leaders.