ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC Berkeley Public Service Center
SERVICE, EDUCATION, REFLECTION.
IN THIS ISSUE
This Spectacular Now
Winter 2014
by Casie Lee, Communications Director
Welcome to the 2014 Winter edition of the Alternative Breaks Newletter!
the intersection of you and another, you find the time and place for an “us” and a “we.”
I can’t speak for everyone here – you, the reader, included – as to why or how we find ourselves here and now, but I can reiterate the simple fact that we are. Something – maybe even a someone – between the avenues of whim and the inevitable coincided and collided, and so, here we are.
We’re all part of a larger picture – several thousands of larger pictures that are actually smaller images making up an even larger picture. We may not always be the focal point or even a defined detail, but even as a speck in the very corner of the image, we’ll be there. We’ll be the color, contrast, and context, the story within a story, and we’ll help tell the tale.
Considering these paths of circumstance and happenstance calls for a bit of imagination, and it’s not the easiest thing to do. It can be daunting to step so far out beyond the bounds of one’s own reality, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll ever really go back. Call it child’s play or philosophical meandering, but I believe imagination is what connects us together. Imagination is the common thread that strings together our individual realities. It makes it matter and it makes us care. It’s imagination that allows us to feel feelings that aren’t necessarily ours, that instills in us a seed of responsibility, that compels us to stand up to struggles not our own. Imagination is what begs the possibility that we’re not alone, we’re not here alone, that at
Warming Up in November Shortly following our first All-Community Meeting, our program had our first ever program-wide Day of Action on November 16th, where trips joined local community partners for an early encounter with service.
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This newsletter, like our Program, aims to do just that – to share the story of self, the story of us, and the story now. In this issue are just a few stories that some of us in the Program have encountered and woven into our own narrative during the past few months, and while most come from the Fall Semester and the Winter Break, most stories – if not all – begin far before. But like us, they’ve found their way here and now, and so, here they are.
Here, There, and Back
Thanks for joining us – I hope you enjoy!
For two weeks in January, our two 2014 Winter Trips rang in the New Year with service in Los Angeles, CA and in the Gulf Coast. Here, they share just a few things they brought back with them.
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ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER | Winter 2014
November Day of Action by Kari Miller, Community Partnerships Director
On November 16th, 2013, Alternative Breaks introduced its first annual Day of Action. Our goal was to encourage student awareness of their role within systems that perpetuate inequity, and facilitate access to university resources to contribute to sustainable community partnerships. We encourage students to recognize their power as individuals and that it is never too early or too late to be an agent of social change. With these objectives in mind, it is safe to say that the November Day of Action was a riproaring success! Participants were especially thrilled to explore social justice issues that pushed the boundaries of the familiar. Crosstrip commonalities and differences highlighted the power of solidarity and interpersonal dialogue within ourselves and with our neighbors. Participants met, mingled, and served alongside members of the community. For some, this was the first time bridging the gap between academic understandings and community-based solutions. It was an exciting first taste of the Alternative Breaks spirit in a local context and hands-on contact. Trips teamed up with a wide range of Berkeley community partners. Our service ranged from testing out a new Electronic Records System at an Over60 LifeLong Medical Clinic to working with the Berkeley Food and Housing Project to prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday as part of its larger mission of providing various types of housing and emergency meals to help the crisis of homelessness in Berkeley. Our Environmental and Food Justice trips spent the sunny afternoon with Spiral Gardens, a food security project that provides access to all the resources a local resident needs to cultivate their own sustainable, urban garden at home. Arizona, San Diego/Tijuana, and Animal Welfare pruned, weeded, and debugged the Berkeley Rose Gardens with the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association, a volunteer group that cares for the ins and outs of Berkeley. Central Valley worked alongside volunteers of a non-profit that combats pollution in the Bay Area known as Urban Biofilter.
"Spiral gardens taught me that even the smallest effort can make a huge difference. Change is centered in one person, and it is up to us to create the ‘spiral’ that will spread awareness to the rest of the world. “I was unaware of the large effect one garden could have on a community and the world, and how easy it is to help and spread awareness.” - Marisa Ashley Weinberg, Environmental Justice, Spring 2014
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ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER | Winter 2014
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OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
On working with Urban Biofilter: "It was really cool to be placed with an organization that didn't relate exactly to our trip. We're going to learn a lot about those issues, but it's important to work with and be knowledgeable about a variety of topics to see how everything is connected. I thought it was valuable that we were able to work with local organizations. We got the chance to learn about how these big problems relate to our neighborhoods and cities, and were given the chance to establish a network within our community. I loved the organization we worked with, and hopefully I can keep in touch with them to help with other projects!"
LifeLong Medical Care LifeLong Medical Care provides high-quality health and social services to underserved people of all ages; creates models of care for the elderly, people with disabilities and families; and advocates for continuous improvements in the health of our communities.
Berkeley Path Wanderers Association “Berkeley Path Wanderers Association (BPWA) is a grassroots volunteer group of community members who have come together to increase public awareness of the City of Berkeley’s pathways. BPWA hopes to accomplish this goal through volunteer-led path walks; identification and accurate mapping of Berkeley’s complete path network; and eventual restoration of paths that have been blocked or obscured. We hope the final outcome of the community effort will be the preservation and on-going maintenance of all the paths, lanes and steps throughout Berkeley.”
-- ERICA DORR, CENTRAL VALLEY, SPRING 2014
Spiral Gardens “The mission of Spiral Gardens is to create healthy sustainable communities by promoting a strong local food system and encouraging productive use of urban soil. Our core programs are based at our Urban Garden Center in Southwest Berkeley, on two blocks of public land at the end of a longvacant former railroad right of way. These programs include our Nursery, Produce Stand, Community Farm, Community Education, and Community Harvest Project.”
On working with Spiral Gardens: “I thought our day of action was awesome! Charlie was definitely cool, and so sweet. Going in, we weren’t exactly sure how Spiral Gardens connected to the work on our trips. We made it a point to ask and through dialogue realized that everything is connected.” -- PAULINA OLVERA, ARIZONA, SPRING 2014
Urban Biofilter “Urban Biofilter is a non-profit dedicated to designing, implementing, and advocating for ecological infrastructure and biological systems solutions for the negative environmental health effects of industrial pollution within and for urban communities. We focus on transforming the pollutants and wastes that our cities and communities generate into products and services that can both create jobs and provide a funding mechanism for our urban greenspaces and resource areas.
Berkeley Food and Housing Project “Berkeley Food and Housing Project provides homeless and struggling members of our community with a comprehensive range of practical services, without judgment or restrictions. Our unique approach includes partnering with clients to help them develop skills to move forward in their lives. BFHP sees a future where the community of residents, business and government offers the support needed to ease and end homelessness in our community. Referrals into our programs will come from true emergency situations, not a chronic state of hunger, poverty and homelessness.”
WANT TO GET INVOLVED? Alternative Breaks seeks to partner with organizations that promote social justice within their communities. We emphasize sustainability by making a commitment to return year after year to our host communities, both in the Bay Area and beyond. Contact us at altbreaks@berkeley.edu for more information.
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER | Winter 2014
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2014 Winter Service Trips This winter, Alternative Breaks offered winter service trips to New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California for January 2014.
Premium Health, High Premium (Los Angeles, CA)
Magnolia Project (New Orleans, LA and Jackson City, MI)
The DeCal To prepare for the two-week-long service trip, the groups met regularly during Wednesday evening DeCals, where together they explored the complexities of specific social justice issues. Some weeks, they were joined by guest speakers in the area, and other weeks, they kept it cozy by themselves.
The Trip During the two weeks at their trip sites however, our groups were hardly ever alone. By day, they were working alongside community partners such as Midnight
Urban Health participants Sarika Asthana and Ryan Lynch pretend to be heads of households together and buy a day's worth of meals for a family of 2.5 people on a budget of $14.88, the daily ration for individuals on CalFresh.
Mission or Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, and in the evenings, they were often joined by community members as well as Public Service Center alumni in the area for dinner. For the two weeks that they on the trip, participants and break leaders ate, slept, worked, cooked, reflected, and grew alongside one another. Here, some members of the winter trip share just a few of the things they brought back with them.
INTERESTED IN ONE OF OUR TRIPS? For more information, visit our webpage at publicservice.berkeley.edu/alternativebreaks/ wintertrips, or travel back in time with us through our check-ins with our winter trips on our Facebook page at facebook.com/berkeleyaltbreaks. Questions? Email us at altbreaks@berkeley.edu.
Our Winter Break Leaders
(Above) Winter New Orleans trip leaders Sarah Ducker and Scott Hovdey. (Right) Winter Urban Health trip leaders Danielle Ngo and Katie Chen.
"I've always seen myself as an "environment person," then I became a "food person," and now I am a "health person." After working with Alternative Breaks for three years, I am realizing that I am simply a "justice person." Staying with the program for this long has shown me that social injustices are truly a network of intersecting topics. The environment, food, and health are all related, and so are the many other social justice issues in our communities.” --Danielle Ngo, Urban Health Trip Leader
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Collage by Danielle McGuinness, Urban Health in L.A., Winter 2014
Premium Health, High Premium: Urban Health in L.A. The First Winter
A Day in a Life
While our Program had offered week-long spring service trips on the topic of urban health for quite some time, the 2014 winter marked the launch of a winter trip to Los Angeles, CA. Centered upon the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA 2010), topics during the Fall Semester DeCal included community nutrition and fitness, the healthcare “safety net� of free clinics , and disparities in the health care system. In Los Angeles, the group served with community partners such as Midnight Mission, an organization that strives to take the homeless off of Skid Row by offering a path to self-sufficiency.
Learning opportunities are everywhere, even in the local supermarket. On Day 5 of the trip, the group engaged in a simulation activity during a trip for groceries where members of the group teamed up to play the role of heads of households. At the market, they bought a day's worth of meals for a family of 2.5 people on $14.88, the daily rationing for individuals on CalFresh. According to California's Department of Social Services site, CalFresh, also known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can "add to your food budget to put healthy and nutritious
food on the table. The program issues monthly electronic benefits that can be used to buy most foods at many markets and food stores. The CalFresh Program helps to improve the health and well-being of qualified households and individuals by providing them a means to meet their nutritional needs."
And Downtime Too Even during their day off, the group engaged with urban health in L.A., this time with fitness in the Hollywood hills. Together, they hiked the Hollyridge Trail to the iconic Hollywood sign and spelled out a message for folks keeping up with them on Facebook.
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Magnolia Project: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast The Project
The Merge
Formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Magnolia Project is a program born in collaboration between Berkeley student social justice organizations and the UC Berkeley Public Service Center. In 2006, UC Berkeley began partnering with community based organizations in New Orleans to help rebuild and maintain long-standing relationships with community partners in Louisiana. This 2013-14 year marks the eighth year of a ten-year commitment to working in solidarity with Gulf Coast communities to examine and challenge inequalities of resources and recovery in the post-Katrina Gulf Coast.
This year, we made a strategic move to join Magnolia Project, focused in New Orleans, with our Alternative Breaks program in confidence that this move will help us grow into the larger vision for our program. Currently, Magnolia Project offers winter and spring break trips, as well as summer internships to students wanting to continue to be a part of the movement.
A Drop in the Bucket by Rakiah Anderson
The opportunity to spend almost seven days in the Lower Ninth Ward Village was a really eye-opening experience. As I look at the picture of the community center, I notice how the rays of the sun peek over the roof of the Village, illuminating the artwork and assortment of colors painted on the exterior helping to enhance its curb appeal, and giving the illusion that the community is back on its feet and thriving. However, when you look closely at the picture you will notice the doors are closed, there is no one around, and written on the upper-right are the words “Where is your neighbor?” alluding to the fact that many residents of the Lower Ninth Ward have not returned. I learned that even after eight years, families still remain separated, homes sit destroyed, and places like the Lower Ninth remain ill-serviced and underfunded. This made me feel angry, saddened, and despondent towards society and administrators who have done little to respond to the people of the Lower Ninth. However, my personal feeling pale in comparison to the lived experience of the individuals in the Lower Ninth Ward, who are not simply visiting New Orleans on a service
trip, but are confronted with the reality of their situation on a daily basis. Ward “Mack” McClendon played a significant role in the way I think about the Village, the Lower Ninth community, and the socially unjust disparities that exist throughout New Orleans. Mack is the founder of the community center and has dedicated his life towards rebuilding the Lower Ninth and reconstructing the sense of community that was lost after the hurricane. Mack gave me hope, not only for the people of New Orleans, but hope that if we continue to create awareness about New Orleans and give our helping hand in the rebuilding
process, the Ward can slowly but surely get back on its feet. It is my hope that by sharing my experience and what I've learned that discussions about New Orleans can continue and that people (including myself), continue to “put their drop in the bucket” as Mack would say, and remember what happened to New Orleans, the people who live there, and the right of this community to rebuild and overcome the injustice surrounding the hurricane and the lack of governmental aid or response. I am very thankful for this service-learning opportunity and I encourage others to continue to learn about New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward Village.
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ReEnvisioning Purpose by Johanna Romero
For two weeks during this past winter break, I was unplugged. Parallel to Neo's new found reality in The Matrix, the bubble I had previously been living in was challenged and I came to understand the true state of this nation. As one of twelve participants on the Alternative Breaks Winter Magnolia Project trip, I witnessed the continued existence of greed for profit and power in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and the intentional neglect and cleansing of such a culturally rich and valuable community. Poverty business and corporate control became forces of a destructive nature, stemming out of a history of systemic corruption in the United States. The disaster had not been a natural occurrence. Rather it was a carefully crafted one that exposed the racism and discrimination of "disaster relief" efforts. I have difficulty reconciling the complexity of it all, and the lack of a simple solution to so much suffering. In hopes of grounding myself, and taking action towards a just future, I simply listened... to those living with this disaster, those fighting for a fulfilled life, and those rising to recreate their community. During our service with the Lower Ninth Ward Village, executive director Mack talked passionately about a life of purpose, and of happiness. Clouded by my own privilege, I did not understand how purpose could be actively pursued when living within such an insidious network of systems. Mack posed the question to each of the participants, and I listened. "This nation is suffering, and is broken because people are not living out their purposes. The richest places in this country are cemeteries because that is where the potential, dreams, and purposes of so many fallen brothers, and sisters lay." Mack still had his life, and shared how he had changed after the storm. He no longer pursued materialistic
wants, and saw how his community was suffering. For Mack, the Lower Ninth Ward Village, and the community center he dedicated himself to, was his calling. He wanted his community to be whole again. We began envisioning alongside the Lower Ninth Ward Village and Mack, as well as with Chika and Becka. Both women are UC Berkeley alumna who moved to the Lower Ninth Ward after graduation. They worked hard and selflessly to continue a long term relationship with the folks they had served in New Orleans during their time at Cal. Change takes commitment, and trust. I felt a thriving vitality when I first met Ms. Maggie (photographed below). She is a young eighty-two year old resident of the Lower Ninth Ward, with a fierce energy to her personality and is more capable than most of the college students on our trip. She fought for her way back home, and began rebuilding knowingly facing the injustices in
her community. Our group served that day by building a closet for Ms. Maggie. "What will make you whole now, Ms. Maggie?" Mack wanted to know. Her clothes had still been in boxes after moving in some time ago. The constant hunching over to find anything was ailing her back. She needed a closet, and we got her a closet. Community members, neighbors, and us students worked together to meet the needs of Ms. Maggie. Did this dismantle injustice on a systemic scale? No. What we were trying to accomplish as a group of privileged students was to transform our understanding of what solidarity in action looked like. Listening to the community was our purpose and a reinvention of what serving meant was what we gained. Purpose is a collective necessity in this nation, a driving force in people’s lives and in their actions. That was the lesson I gained from my service experience, knowing we cannot forget.
The New Orleans Winter Trip group with Ms. Maggie in the Lower Ninth Ward. The group spent nearly ten days of the total fourteen days of the trip in the Lower Ninth Ward.
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A Sliver to Share: Our All-Community Meeting On Wednesday, February 5, all ten of our Spring Trips gathered at the First Congregational Church to kick off our spring program in solidarity. Here, we were joined by a few members of our winter trips, who shared with us a few key moments in their experience over the break, as a kind of prelude to what’s to come in the spring. But just before our trips each went off to their respective classrooms for the semester, Food Justice Leader Jenny Tang sent us off with a story – her story – of realization and of social justice in a string of words crafted with candor and every bit of intention.
“Imagine being a young child in the middle of the snack aisle of a local grocery store. The shelves are lined with goodies of all shapes and sizes that tempt you with their colorful packaging and adorable mascots. You have a difficult time choosing between them, so you end up making your parents purchase a grossly inappropriate amount of junk food for just one child. Growing up in a fairly affluent neighborhood in Fremont, that child was me, every weekend. Of course, I knew that junk food was bad for me, but I ate it anyway because it tasted good, and it was an alternative break (hahaha) to the boring fruits that my mom made me eat every night. What I didn't know, and what I would eventually learn in college, was that there are families out there who actually want to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, but who are forced to settle for the junk food I relished so much as a child. But merely learning about it in my classes was not enough; I was unmotivated
to play a part in creating change in the food justice issues that impacted the communities next to us. I was certainly angry that such problems existed in the first place, but ultimately felt disconnected because I was not a direct victim. In my Alternative Breaks trip, however, my group did an activity in which "families" of 4 participants were given a mere 5 dollars to purchase dinner for themselves. This was an estimation of how much money a family on food stamps is allotted for meals each day. It was here that I felt a strong emotional connection to these issues, because I realized how heartbreaking it must be, especially for children, to see food that they wanted but simply could not afford. I also recognized how unrealistic it is to expect busy families who are financially unstable to carefully calculate what they can and cannot afford every single day. It was then that I decided that instead of sitting passively (and in anger), I must go out and do what I can to alleviate these issues.
Alternative Breaks gave me the priceless opportunity to discover and understand issues, perspectives, and communities that I was completely unaware of. Not only did it allow me to see my own privilege, it also guided and encouraged me to use that privilege to work towards positive change. As a break leader, I hope to spark the same emotional connection in our participants that previous break leaders instilled in me. I'm sure every single Alternative Breaks member will have an amazing and memorable experience, and will walk away with a unique story of their own to tell.”
And so, we’re off – another day, another semester, here and there, here and now.
Please consider making a tax‐deductible donation at tinyurl.com/ altbreaksfund.
Alternative Breaks leaders and participants work hard through grant writing, fundraising, and letter campaigns to maintain the affordability and accessibility of this program. For over ten years, we have been able to provide this program opportunity at a highly subsidized cost to many students from many backgrounds. None of this is possible without your support. A $25 donation supports a scholarship for a highly‐qualified student with financial need. A $50 donation covers course materials for an entire trip. A $100 donation covers a week of communal housing and $500 feeds a trip of 14 students for one week. We also welcome in‐kind donations of course materials, food, and other supplies
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER | Winter 2014
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC Berkeley Public Service Center
102 Sproul Hall #2430 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720
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