Alternative Spring Break

Throughout the 2019-2020 school year, Saint Martin’s campus ministry team worked to create an alternative break immersion program in collaboration with student leaders. This program, called alt-spring-break, offered students the opportunity to travel to other parts of the country to learn about poverty, race, injustice, and apply knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching to reallife situations. Even more importantly, these student-led alternative break trips were an opportunity for Saint Martin’s students to meet and interact with people who committed to working on the margins of their communities. Providing another opportunity for mission-centered learning, this trip enabled “Saint Martin’s students to learn to make a positive difference in their lives and in the lives of others through the interaction of faith, reason, and service.” Students traveled to Flint, Michigan, and McAllen, Texas, with faculty and staff members to engage in communities and work with people actively making a difference for others. In McAllen, highlights of the trip included meeting Sister Norma Pimental, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, serving on the Mexican American border, and learning the stories of asylum seekers first-hand at the Catholic Charities respite center. Students benefit by working with the dedicated staff who serve migrants who have traveled from countries, including the Republic of Congo, Haiti, Brazil, and Colombia. Zyon Rodriguez, a sophomore who visited McAllen, talked about a woman he met who impacted his experience, “Maria was the cook at the Humanitarian Respite Center who would wake up every day with a smile on her face.” He further reflected, “she was happy to be giving back to the community and helping others who truly needed help. For most of the trip, I found myself taking on her positive attitude.” Highlights from the Flint experience included working with the Catholic Community of Flint to address systematic and generational poverty within the city, including education, addiction, and food insecurity. Students also learned what happened when General Motors, Flint’s

largest economic provider, left the community without consideration for addressing infrastructure concerns and environmental impact. Christian Arakawa, a sophomore, summarized his experience of the trip by saying, “This trip was a big eye-opener. I learned so much more than I ever would have imagined.” He further talked about the experience by describing Flint’s community, “which is an amazing city with vibrant people trying their best to bring the city back to life.” Fundraising efforts to defray some cost of the trips was also carried out by student leaders and participants to make this a reality. Students sold packaged coffee from Olympia Coffee Roasters, Krispy Kreme donuts and asked for donations. With the increasing anxiety of COVID-19 while traveling, students maximized their time through building community and envisioning possibilities for the program in future years. Trips are planned next year for Browning, Montana and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Rochester, New York, El Paso, Texas, and Flint, Michigan, students are excited to begin the process of fundraising and making plans.

The learning that took place with these students is best described by Arakwa: “I am an activist, a quiet one, but still an activist. After going on this trip, my activism style has changed from quiet to loud.” He further explained, “To actively fighting for social justice. This trip was amazing, and I am truly blessed

that I was able to do it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” If you are interested in learning more about this program or contributing to our fundraising efforts, please contact Colleen Dunne, Director of Campus Ministry, at cdunne@stmartin.edu. u