Inner-city poverty, gang problems, homelessness and health are just some of the issues covered during AWOL’s service-learning trips to Chicago and Belize in the next two months.
Jacquie Lonning, Alternative Week of Off-Campus Learning program adviser, said the two upcoming trips to Chicago and Belize will give students the opportunity to learn about social issues in a different community. These experiences often affect their major, life and career, she said.
“Students will be exposed to ideas and programs and organizations that they aren’t familiar with, and will be challenged on how they can relate those issues to our local community,” Lonning said.
Students were selected to participate in the service-learning trips after an application and a short interview, said senior and Belize trip participant Jake Jessop. In the weeks leading up to the trip, educational meetings are held to give students a foundation in what they will be experiencing.
The students traveling to Belize will be gone from Jan. 3 to Jan. 12, and will be focusing on education and health issues, Lonning said. The groups’ schedule will involve cultural aspects including home stays with native residents and a variety of projects working with people in the area.
Junior Angela Helseth has been involved with the AWOL program since her freshman year at USD, when she made the trip to Chicago. Helseth will be the site leader for the Belize trip in January and said many of the issues such as poverty, homelessness and healthcare deficiencies seen in other countries can also be found close to home.
“I hope it will be a transformational experience for myself and the participants,” Helseth said. “We will be able to see the differences and similarities of the same problems faced in the U.S. and Belize and how they are connected.”
Jessop will be traveling to Belize on his first AWOL experience in January. Jessop, a human resource management major, said his interest was sparked after traveling abroad to the Netherlands and at the encouragement of a close friend.
“It’s such a great opportunity to travel and to experience other cultures,” Jessop said. “It’s great to be with people around your age and have the same interests as you.”
Students traveling to Chicago will be dealing directly with inner-city issues such as poverty and gang problems, Lonning said. The group will have the opportunity to serve food to the homeless and work with youth organizations in gang prevention.
Freshman Mollie Friedman will be participating in the trip to Chicago and said she is looking forward to the trip in order to learn about the issues that occur in our country and how to deal with them.
“It’s important to do these types of things to teach people how they can make a difference and how they can be involved in the community,” Friedman said.
To help fund the students’ trips to Chicago and Belize, a soup feed will be held on Thursday at the Vermillion National Guard Armory from 5-8 p.m. Four different soups, including chili, broccoli cheese, chicken tortilla and pizza soup, will be available, and a silent auction will be held, Lonning said. All of the proceeds will go toward helping students with the $1,900 cost for Belize and the $350 cost for Chicago.
Helseth said the fundraiser is a great way to raise money for a great cause.
“It’s really helpful for us who are going on the trip,” Helseth said. “The funds raised help us alleviate the cost.”
The AWOL program began in July 2003 when the Center for Academic Engagement opened, and is looking to take service-learning trips a step further to educate students about social issues, Lonning said.
Senior Allison Struck, student adviser for AWOL, said the program is beneficial because it exposes students to diversity and makes them more aware of social issues. Struck said many don’t believe social issues exist in South Dakota.
“When students come back to the community, we hope they will use what they’ve learned, and share their experiences to work towards a positive social change,” Struck said. “We want students to become active citizens.”
Helseth said the AWOL program is a great way to educate students through an intense setting. She added that college is all about broadening students’ mindsets, and AWOL trips are a fantastic way to accomplish that.
“Life is all about human relationships and learning and the best way to learn is to experience,” Helseth said. “It’s our duty as fellow human beings existing together to understand and help each other in whatever ways we can.
Reach reporter Josie Clarey at Josie.Clarey@usd.edu.
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