EUGENE, Ore. -- (Dec. 8, 2010) -- A group of University of Oregon students will begin a three-day immersion Dec. 10, to investigate homelessness and poverty in two different areas of the state -- Portland and Bend-- before going home for the holidays.
Sponsored by the UO Holden Leadership Center and the College of Education's Service Learning Program, alternative breaks are community service learning trips that take place during the university's traditional break periods: winter, spring and summer breaks.
For the second year of the Alternative Winter Break program, the UO chose to organize an opportunity for 16 students to examine how the economy has impacted the state of Oregon. In two groups, the students will look at the issues of homelessness, unemployment and poverty in Portland and Bend.
"With the loss of jobs and rising cost of housing, the number of people entering into homelessness continues to rise through the state," said Laura Grangaard, service program coordinator. "The goal of Alternative Winter Breaks is to immerse the teams in service, reflection and education around such an important issue, and to inspire continued service in our local communities and beyond upon return."
In Portland, participants will visit Dignity Village, talk with representatives at JOIN, an organization that helps homeless individuals and families transition to housing, volunteer at Outside In, serve dinner at the Burnside Shelter, and explore other facets of homelessness and poverty in the city.
In Bend, participants will serve meals at several shelters, explore poverty in a colder climate, and talk with the Economic Development for Central Oregon and a representative from Living Options for Teens (LOFT), which provides services for transitional youth.
According to Grangaard, student interest continues to grow rapidly for alternative breaks with more than twice the number of students applying for winter alternative break this year than could participate. For alternative break programs, students travel locally, nationally and internationally in teams to engage in active service, and have the opportunity to gain new perspectives on social issues while meeting community needs, and learning about and building upon community assets.
Upcoming spring break programs will take UO groups to experience Native American and resource rights in Eastern Oregon, immigration in San Diego, disaster relief in New Orleans, poverty in Jamaica, and youth and public health in Dominican Republic.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Laura Grangaard, Service Program Coordinator, Service Learning Program, 541-346-4351, lgrangaa@uoregon.edu
Link: http://serve.uoregon.edu/programs/alternative_breaks
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