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Alternative Spring Break 2009
This year Hillel is joining with City Year to create an amazing ASB 2010!!
| Alternative Breaks take groups of students out of their everyday surroundings and places them in new environments to engage in community service and experiential learning. This year, Miami students will join 50 other service-minded students from around the country* to live in and serve the community of… Miami**! |
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Of course we mean Miami, Florida! This trip is a partnership between Hillel and City Year (For more information on City Year, check out their Wikipedia page.) and will provide an opportunity to stretch beyond the everyday by coming together through hands-on service, team building and the exploration of social justice and Judaism.
Days will be spent doing volunteer work which may include, but is not limited to, building, painting, tutoring children and serving meals. Participants should be prepared for intense days of hands-on service and be open to experiential learning as a means to increase knowledge about socio-economic and social justice issues. During the evenings participants will have speakers, city tours and time so soak up the flavor of the city they are working to improve. The trip will also include a restful Shabbat.
For more info.:
- Contact Rabbi Rachel Gartner rabbirachel@muhillel.org OR 513 523-5190
- See http://www.hillel.org/tzedek/altbreaks/cityyear_asb2010.htm
To APPLY
Seats are very limited, so what are you waiting for? Apply now. Use this link to register.
* Mu will be partnering with College of Charleston JSU, Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh, Michigan State University Hillel, Old Dominion University Hillel, University of Virginia Hillel
**Spotlight On: Miami
We know that everyone wants to party in the city where the heat is on, but aside from the famous South Beach; Miami is a vibrant, diverse city. Over thirty percent of the city’s inhabitants are Cuban, and there are also significant Haitian, Honduran and Nicaraguan communities. For two thirds of Miamians, Spanish is their first language. In addition to the Latin population, Miami is also a very Jewish city- and home to the Jewish Museum of Florida, scores of Kosher restaurants and synagogues.
In spite of the glamour of the conga, the beach and the rockin’ blazers from Miami Vice, this city has real needs:
· The median household income is only $23,483
· 32.8% of people in Miami live below the poverty line
· The personal crime risk is 278 (with 100 being the national average)
For a deeper look into the complexity and character of the Cuban community in Miami, check out the book Cuba Confidential, written by Ann Bardach, an investigative journalist. The book explores the relationship between Cuba and US using the Elian Gonzalez custody battle as a lens.
Although not set in Miami, the movie Sugar follows a teenager from the Dominican Republic who comes to the US to play baseball. The film is about his journey, and baseball, but also tells a different story- a story about straddling two lives, and inequalities between the haves, and have-nots in the US and his hometown. Think about screening this film as a springboard for some of the reflection and conversations we’ll have on site. |
