Spring break is over, but it’s all anyone has been able to talk about this week. In fact, it seems as though half our campus uprooted and temporarily moved to South Padre or PCB last week.
Believe it or not, not everyone chose to spend spring break this way. Anyone remotely close to Ramsen Zacharia, a senior at the University of Illinois, has probably heard him talk about the success of this year’s Alternative Spring Break, or ASB, trip, where many students volunteered to spend their vacation helping others across the country.
Ramsen Zacharia is one of ASB’s external relations chairs, and it is his job to recruit members and inform students of the array of opportunities volunteering with ASB brings. He has been to California, Arizona and Washington D.C. through the organization and has heard inspiring life stories from former IBM directors, Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, military veterans and homeless individuals now in graduate school.
How to apply
ASB Trips are offered over every university break period, including thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks, and during the summer immediately after the graduation ceremony weekend. Members are encouraged to and often go on multiple ASB trips a year.
To apply, visit www.illinoisasb.org and complete the application. Applicants are able to rank their trip preference, and based on the score of the application, are selected to a trip. The applications are completely anonymous and are scored based on effort, awareness, passion and intent.
Where could applicants go and how are sites chosen?
Three members of the ASB planning board are in charge of site development. They seek out volunteer opportunities across the country and see if they fit with the ASB mission.
“We have detailed records of our trips, so we know which ones have been successful and which ones could have been better. Although we have some trips we’ve gone on multiple years, we are always seeking out new service opportunities,” Zacharia said. This spring break, sites included California, Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Kansas, Washington D.C., New York and South Dakota.
What happens after you are chosen for a trip?
When you are chosen for a trip, you are making a commitment to be involved, including participating in some education and service work before you actually go on the trip. Participants fundraise for their cause, meet with other ASB participants to discuss their sites’ issue and even do a pre-break event consisting of volunteering on campus or completing an activity relating to the cause of the organization that they are working with on the ASB trip.
What does it cost to go on a trip?
ASB is completely non-profit and any money made goes back to paying for the trips. Trip participants pay a fee of $300. This covers all expenses including food, travel, lodging and the organization you are working with. ASB also offers many qualifying students the Maria Soma Scholarship, which could partially or fully cover the costs of an ASB trip. Members also apply for grants, SORF funding and even do fundraising events, such as the annual 5K in the fall and the Italian ice sale on the quad at the beginning of the academic year.
What Can You Expect on an ASB trip?
Since trips are so diverse, every student can expect something different. Some of the trips work with children, the homeless or the environment. There will always be, however, a lot of education on the issue.
“ASB allowed me to meet so many different people across our campus,” Zacharia said. “I have formed friendships from when I was a freshman that I still keep in contact four years later. You develop a very strong bond with your trip members.”
ASB is currently accepting applications for summer trips and positions for the planning board. Visit www.illinoisasb.org for more information.