2018 has been an incredible year – thank you for all your support!
AB Spotlight- Abby
For many students who came to Clarkston for spring break, this was first service learning trip with Something New. Abby, from University of Wisconsin Eau Claire had an amazing trip. Here’s what she had to say:
“I truly believe that the experiences you least expect are the experiences that change your life the most. For me, the Alternative Spring Break Trip to Clarkston was just that; unexpected and life altering. I remember attending an informational meeting about the trip, and not understanding why no one could explain what the trip was like for them. It took me personally being in Clarkson to understand the perplexity of emotions and thoughts that go through your mind when trying to describe what your spring break was like. Not only was it inspiring and emotional, but uplifting. For the first time in my life, I felt at home. I was surrounded by people I knew who cared for me, and had my best interest in mind. To be in place of complete honesty, vulnerability, and love is not an environment that is common. The volunteers at Something New are the reason why I experienced many of these emotions, and experiences. The Something New volunteers are a special group of dedicated, devoted, and loving crew who were welcoming from day one.
In my efforts for others to experience the dedication of the Something New Organization, I do my best to share my ASB trip experience with those who have little knowledge of the trip itself. I hope to inspire others to take action, join the Alternative Spring Break trip next year, and to create positive encourage for others out there to continue supporting the wonderful Something New Organization.”
Alternative Break 2017!
Get a glimpse of what our #ASB2017 was all about! Here is our Closing Video for Week 3:
New Way – A Lasting Change
2016 New Alternative participant, Morgan, reflects on her experience with New Way Nonviolence and Conflict Reconciliation Training. New Alternative offers the option to participate in a day-long New Way training that has impacted thousands of college students! To learn more about New Way trainings and how you can participate in or book a training, click here!
NA Sneak Peek: Meet Sean and Tylisa
As part of our New Alternative program, we provide each group of visitors with a group host to help ensure they have the best trip possible. Some of our perennial favorites on the group host roster are Sean and Tylisa Black, residents of Selma and long-time Alternative Break (AB) hosts. We thought you might like to hear a little about why they love AB!
What are three things you love about ASB?
Tylisa: The students, the hype, and the energy.
Sean: Same three as Tylisa.
If you had one word of advice for ABers, what would it be?
Tylisa: Be open to having everything you’ve ever known get challenged.
Sean: Come open, and take advantage of the opportunity to get to know all the volunteers.
Why do you group host? [Read more…]
Trivia Night in Selma!!
The winter season of New Alternative break is well under way down in Selma! Our local New Expression youth love jumping in on trivia night (one of the most popular evening programs we offer to our breakers). It’s a great opportunity for the Selma youth to learn about people from places very different from where they live, and a great way for the students to learn more about this place.
NA Sneak Peak: The Civil Rights Memorial Center
The Civil Rights Memorial Center honors 40 martyrs of the civil rights movement. A visit to the Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC) is an opportunity to go beyond the limits of a textbook. This is a top destination for students in our New Alternative program who choose to take the Montgomery excursion, just a 40-minute drive from Selma. Find out why!
Here are five of our FAVORITE things about the Civil Rights Memorial Center:
1. The CRMC tells the stories of the unsung heroes. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks played critical parts in the movement, but the CRMC highlights the often unnoticed and unmentioned. WWII veterans, priests, college students’ mothers, grandparents, elementary-aged children, all individuals that died for the cause of Civil Rights. The CRMC gives individuals the opportunity to learn more about these everyday heroes.
2. Watch Faces in the Water. Faces in the Water is an 18-minute film telling the stories of some of the martyrs featured at the memorial. You learn about Emmitt Till’s death from the perspective of his mother, and hear other heart wrenching stories that were all part of this great movement. The film makes running your hands through the water on the memorial a much deeper experience.
3. Connecting the past and the present. The CRMC illustrates that the march indeed continues by connecting the fight for equality in the civil rights movement to the fight for human rights today. After watching Faces in the Water, you’ll be greeted by Elie Wiesel’s famous quote “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim” and then you enter a hallway featuring a collage of images from today’s struggle for justice. You’ll see the stories of five modern day martyrs killed since 1980. The hallway is a powerful part of the experience and often a memory visitors carry with them long after they leave.
NA Sneak Peek-Meet Robert
