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(Photo courtesy of Break Away)

While many of their classmates travel to exotic locations for the stereotypical "fun-in-the-sun" vacations, a growing number of college students are forsaking traditional spring break destinations to engage in service.

 

Over the past two years, the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina appears to have inspired even more students to trade in their week off for a week "on."  Thousands of college students from across the country have journeyed to the Gulf Coast to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in the beleaguered region. 

 

Alternative spring break service programs have been around for years, and appear to be growing in popularity among today's college students.  Increasingly, colleges and universities offer school-sponsored service opportunities, and a growing number of nonprofits and businesses have sprung up to give students a chance to perform service on their spring breaks.  According to Campus Compact, a coalition of 1,000 colleges and universities committed to the civic mission of higher education, the number of schools offering spring break volunteer opportunities has increased from 66 percent to 77 percent since 2000. 

 

Religious and ethical beliefs motivate some students to volunteer their time and energy.  Others look at service as opportunity to experience first-hand ideas that they study in class.  Still others are motivated -- like many of their partying counterparts -- by social opportunities.

 

In 2006, a group of 42 students and staff from Georgetown University traveled 23 hours by bus to help rebuild a town of 2,500 in Alabama that was devastated by Katrina.  Working with the nonprofit Volunteers of America, the group helped to repair houses destroyed by the hurricane.  First, they sprayed many homes with a chemical to kill the mold that grew after the flooding. Then they stripped existing paint from the exterior of the houses and applied a fresh coat.

 

This is just one example of the jobs done by the estimated 10,000 college volunteers who have helped rebuild the Gulf region, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Habitat for Humanity International has enabled numerous students to serve in the region, and Common Ground Collective was established specifically to help rebuild in the New Orleans region. 

 

While the trips to the Katrina-ravaged regions have attracted more participation and added a sense of urgency, alternative spring break trips have been a mainstay on college campuses for years.  Break Away, a nonprofit that promotes quality alternative break programs, hopes that these programs help to inspire lifelong active citizenship.

 

Most alternative spring break trips aim not only to provide a one-time service experience for students, but also to create opportunities for refection on larger complex social, cultural, and economic issues.  Many programs involve group discussion, so participants can talk about their service work and share their perspectives on how it fits into a larger societal or ethical context.  These programs can have an impact on participants that lasts much longer than the suntan students would get on a typical spring break.