So much has happened since we started this course on January 10th! For those who don’t know what we’re about and how we decided to commit to our trip to Poland, there is already so much to our story aside from the trip we’ll be embarking upon in just a few short days.
How it Started in 2016/2017
The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program began planning and information sessions in early September. Students were encouraged to attend sessions that covered general information about our philosophy of service and the ideas behind the embedded course attached to the program. Students who attended the program filled out a survey with various types of work that they could do, and from the interest of the group, working at the World Heritage Site, Auschwitz was selected. Students applied and interviewed for the opportunity to participate in the program and from there we have a finalized roster of 7 students and 2 staff/faculty members who are attending the trip.
Student Leaders
We are proud to have 3 student leader positions for the program that has helped with the development and success of the year. Senior Juliette Piersody from Wernersville, Pennsylvania has been coordinating all of our fundraising efforts on and off campus. Junior Chelsea Watts, Geigertown, Pennsylvania has been working with the Course Instructor/Director, Autumn Fritz to plan all facets of the embedded program. Finally, Junior Stephen Speer, Fairless Hills is the student leader responsible for the reflection and debriefing throughout the ASB program in Poland.
Fundraising
Our students and staff have been working tirelessly to raise money for the program. Funding has been provided (in part) through several means which includes The Howard O. and Jean Beaver Endowment for Community Service and the Student Activity Fee. Additionally, the ASB students also held multiple fundraising events throughout the Spring 17 semester.
The ASB Embedded Course
The overall program in Poland will be more social justice focused as the Amizade organization has detailed, “Survivors, their descendents, and many residents of surrounding communities support the preservation of the concentration camps and ongoing efforts to increase global awareness of the atrocities. All these voices emphasize the importance of the post-World War II mantra, “Never Again.” Thus, the course focuses on 3 themes: leadership, history, and human rights/social justice.
The Trip
Amizade has stated, “Through visits to historic sites in Germany and Poland, Amizade participants learn about the Holocaust and become a stronger part of the community committed to remembrance and bearing witness. Volunteers have the unique opportunity to engage in direct service work at the Auschwitz Museum. Yet the program focuses on the broader, community-driven moral and ethical question of how to continue daily work to ensure Holocaust victims’ lives are honored and that such an historic atrocity never occurs again.” For more information please go to the Amizade site.