Best. Experience. Ever. Ever had one of those? If you have, you know they are extremely satisfying and make you feel so good about yourself. If not, there’s an opportunity for you to have one right here at Eastern.
This year was the 19th year Eastern has hosted the Alternative Spring Breaks. ASB, a program sponsored by VISION – Volunteers Incorporating Service Into Our Neighborhoods – had approximately 80 students participate in this year’s spring break. The students, who dedicated their time off to tackling an issue of their interest, were scattered across the Midwest and the South.
This year was my first year participating in the ASB program, and I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable trip, a better group of students to spend my week with or a more rewarding experience. I, along with eight others, had a 22-hour drive down to Homestead, Fla., where we worked on habitat restoration in the Everglades. We helped remove invasive species and cleaned a large span of beach where sea turtles migrate to nest their eggs.
For our group in Homestead, the difference we made was sea turtles wouldn’t be deterred by the garbage on the beach where they nest. Sea turtles are picky about where they choose to nest their eggs, and even if they did decide to stay, they might eat some plastic thinking it’s a jellyfish and suffocate.
It’s important the sea turtles come in to nest, because only about one egg from each nest will make it to their reproductive age, and therefore, each egg is of vast significance. We also dedicated two days to the removal of the Brazilian pepper, an invasive species that takes up nutrients and space from the native Florida species.
Though our work was hardly a permanent solution, the work we did was of tremendous importance and keeps the problem at bay. More garbage is bound to be washed up on the beach, and killing off invasive species is incredibly hard because they are extremely versatile, but it’s an ongoing battle against the negative effects to the ecosystem.
Many people aren’t very conscious of the environment and hazards to it, but this topic concerns everyone because the environment belongs to everyone, and any harm to it will eventually affect the world.
Even if the environment isn’t necessarily what captures your interest, there are a variety of trips. This year, the issues ASB tackled were working with youth, mentoring, HIV/AIDS, refugee services and affordable housing.
It’s great, because each person picks an issue they care about and actually does something about it. It was very gratifying work, because you can actually see the impact you’re making as you work through the day. The appearance of the areas we worked in greatly improved, and it was amazing to see the difference a small group of college students could make.
Making a difference is definitely the top reason to participate, but there are other benefits, too. There are multiple adventures waiting to be experienced when you aren’t traveling as a tourist or hanging out with family and friends. I didn’t know any of the students in my group before we left, other than meeting up for a couple of debriefs, but the long drive down solved that problem. It was a blast getting to know all the students and learning about each other as the week progressed.
The place we stayed definitely deserves a mention: the hostel was so much more fun than the hotels- we cooked our own food, climbed the trees in the backyard, sat in the gazebo, met other students on their ASB trips and much more. As Devin Phillips, a co-volunteer, said, “It was like an oasis in the middle of the city.”
If you couldn’t tell by this article, I highly, highly recommend anyone interested in this program applies for it. The cost is very reasonable, and the impact you can make is astounding. I know I can’t wait until next year. Maybe we’ll meet up in ASB 2012!
