STUDENT AFFAIRS | Social justice work becomes more vital in a crisis; every instinct says move forward, become connected, get into action.
But a pandemic requires that the world stay put, be physically distant, and restrict action.
LMU’s Alternative Breaks program, a reflection of the university’s robust commitment to social action, is meeting the pandemic crisis with creativity, determination and resistance. The signature trips to work in and learn from other cultures have been moved to virtual settings for this semester.
“The trips came about because of the amazing relationships built up over the years on a global scale,” said Alyssa Perez, the interim assistant director for Alternative Breaks in LMU’s Center for Service and Action. “As soon as we realized how serious the situation was, CSA turned to our partners to consult and work out where we needed to go.”
Perez, who began her current position in March as the pandemic was unfolding, first had to deal with the challenging tasks of canceling trips, offering refunds and consoling the disappointed participants. She said those weeks were constant negotiations with airlines, frequent check-ins with some community partners and scheduling touch points with students. Once the proverbial dust settled, Perez turned her energy and attention to preserving Alternative Breaks. The call of social justice was too insistent to ignore.
The plans were slow to develop, but soon gained momentum, Perez said. “We knew we wanted to be good community partners through this,” she said. Three partners, the Jesuit organization Kino Border Initiative, CRISPAZ and the Center for Global Education and Experience, helped design Alternative Breaks experiences that will continue the educational aim and connect LMU students to the global community.
Three five-day, virtual experiences have been planned and each has a theme to be explored. The first examines the border region at Nogales, Arizona, and Mexico, from Dec. 28-Jan. 1, 2021, with the theme “Dreams Have No Borders.” The second experience, from Jan. 4-8, 2021, will be a collaboration with Ignacio Companions and will survey rural El Salvador with the theme “Women’s Rights and Climate Change.” The third experience, also from Jan. 4-8, 2021, will analyze “Racial Justice in Central America” by looking at the history and present conditions in Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
The priority deadline to apply for these trips is Oct. 10. More information can be found at the Alternative Breaks web page or by emailing Perez at alyssa.perez@lmu.edu.
The creativity in organizing the experiences has been worth the effort, Perez said. Because Zoom fatigue has become a real concern, the programming has been planned with that in mind, so students aren’t trading a trip to a foreign country for six hours in front of a computer monitor. The AB trips are being capped at 15 to allow for the fullest participation, and a fair amount of experimentation is going into activities and engagement. Also, CSA has subsidized the cost of the experience, setting the price for each participant a $30. Because of the nature of the virtual experience, these programs are available to students who previously might not have been able to participate for a variety of reasons.
The crucial reflection component of all AB trips, where students analyze and understand their experiences then return to their community and take action to create social change, is still required.
