Rice Outdoors Club
Alternative
Spring Break
Boulder Creek, CA
March 1 - 9, 2008
Application Information and Registration Fee
There will be 10 spaces available for the trip.
The completed application is due no later
than Monday, November 5, 2007 at 5:00pm in
the Community Involvement Center. Participant selection
will occur on Monday, November 12 (with some trips conducting
group interviews on November 10 and 11),
and applicants will be notified of their
status by 5:00pm on Wednesday, November 14. Applications
are available on-line at
http://www.rice.edu/service (click
on the "Alternative Spring Break Participant
Applications" link). You
can also view photos and read personal testimonies
from past participants on-line. By 5:00pm on Monday, November 26, those selected to participate
will need to confirm their involvement by
submitting a non-refundable registration
fee ($250.00), liability release, emergency
contact and insurance information, a
signed copy of the Conditions of Acceptance, and 10 personal solicitations (details on all these components will be discussed at the All ASB Meeting discussed below).
For more information on the trip or application
process, please contact the student Site
Leaders, Helen Ho (helenho@rice.edu)
and Nick Ripp (nripp@rice.edu).
All selected
participants are required to attend a mandatory
team meeting 9:00-11:00pm
on Sunday, November 18 in Herring 100 (Auditorium).
Please hold this time on your schedule and
notify Christa Leimbach (leimbach@rice.edu)
at the time of your application if you have
a conflict with this meeting. Those that miss the meeting without prior consent will forfeit their place in the ASB program.
The registration fee includes
transportation, housing, meals, materials required
for service, some organized group activities,
and fees paid to the host agency. In most cases,
this registration fee does not even fully cover
the cost of transportation to the site. The
bulk of the trip expenses will be covered through
team and individual fundraising; all participants
are required to
assist with fundraising activities. Projects
may include bake sales, car washes, stadium
clean-ups, and other creative ideas. In addition,
participants will be required to assist with
personal solicitations to friends, family members,
co-workers, religious communities, civic organizations,
grant funds, and other sources.
A small amount of additional personal spending
money should be taken for souvenirs, meals
on the road, and optional activities.
While this is inexpensive for
a week-long service experience, we do not want
cost to be a prohibiting factor. If you are
concerned about funding your participation,
please indicated your desire to apply for a
partial scholarship by contacting Christa Leimbach (leimbach@rice.edu) before
the application deadline (5:00pm on Monday, November 5, 2007). Late requests will not be considered.
Santa Cruz Mountains, San Jose, CA
The San Francisco Bay Area is an interesting juxtaposition of urban centers bordered by the wilderness of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Bay Area includes the metro areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose - over 8 million people in total. YMCA of the Redwoods Camp Campbell mainly serves the greater San Jose area. The Santa Cruz Mountains region is home to many species of birds and some of the southernmost coastal redwoods. Specifically, the ecosystem surrounding Camp Campbell includes the riparian and lotic aspects of the San Lorenzo River, the redwood forest, mixed evergreen forest, and chaparral and meadow communities.
YMCA of the Redwoods Outdoor Science School
Outdoor Science School brings 5,500 5th and 6th graders from the Bay Area to Camp Campbell, an environmentally-focused overnight nature camp. Over 75 different elementary schools participate, and half of these schools qualify as Title I status. To be eligible for this qualification, 40% of students must receive free or reduced price lunch. Outdoor Science School introduces students to the concepts of conservation and wise use of natural resources. In addition, the program encourages appreciation of the beauty of nature and an understanding of one's place in the environment. The program is built upon the California Science Framework and the core concepts of: adaptation, ecosystem, conservation, interdependence, community, niche, cycles, and environmental ethics.
Beyond environmental education, Outdoor Science School provides students with the opportunity to spend 4 days and 3 nights in a camp atmosphere. Through living in a community with other students, they learn responsibility, teamwork, and respect for others. Students also participate in traditional camp activities, including all day picnic hikes, sing-a-longs, campfires, climbing wall, skit nights, team building activities, group games, basketball and soccer, and science-based night hikes.
Service
As cabin leaders, each of us will be in charge of a group of eight to twelve campers during the week. Our role is to help the staff accomplish the camp's teaching goals and to help create and maintain a pleasant, safe atmosphere in the cabin and on trail. We will be arriving a day before the students in order to receive training in which behavior management, child abuse prevention, appropriate games to play and stories to tell, and field activities will be covered. Over the course of the week, we will help the students work in the nature lab, conduct river and stream studies, and prepare for hikes, including a daylong hike, approximately 3-5 miles round trip, and a night hike that introduces students to nocturnal animal life and nighttime sensory awareness.
Accommodations
Camp Campbell is located on 79 acres of coastal redwoods forest intersected by the San Lorenzo River. The facilities include an on-site medical staff and 14 all-weather, heated cabins for student housing, with centralized restroom facilities, the Nature Lab, Sommer Lodge for indoor rainy day presentations, Recreational Hall, Arts & Crafts Pavilion, Health Cottage, Outdoor stage, and game fields and equipment. Meals are served family style in the large rustic Dining Hall. Meals will be prepared by camp cooks and include fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as home-baked bread. We will eat meals with the students and help coordinate the preparation and clean-up of the Dining Hall by the students. We will stay in cabins during the week and camp for two nights at the end of the trip.
Activities
In addition to our volunteer work at the Outdoor Science School, our group will get the opportunity to experience the natural areas nearby firsthand. After departing the camp on Friday afternoon, we will drive to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. There we will camp for two nights using the Rice Outdoors Club equipment and hike along the many trails. Big Basin, California's oldest state park, is home to the largest continuous stand of Ancient Coast Redwoods south of San Francisco. With Big Basin being located a few miles from the coast, we plan on visiting a state beach. Additionally, we will visit Aņo Nuevo State Reserve where will take a walking tour to watch elephant seals give birth. Our time in the redwoods will hopefully enhance our appreciation of this unique environment and provide a fun group bonding time.
Health
Upon acceptance, participants will be required
to complete a medical questionnaire and possibly
a medical interview as well. Examples of the kinds
of questions that may be asked are as follows:
- Have you had any chronic conditions requiring medical
care?
- Will you need any special medications or
medical care while on this trip?
- Are you allergic
to any foods or medicines?
- Do you have any other
dietary restrictions?
Conditions of Acceptance
Although we do not want to discourage anyone from
applying, we want to ensure that the conditions
of participation are clear. Please take a moment
to read the conditions below.
- Participants in the Alternative Spring Break
program are expected to
exhibit sensitivity to the host culture; observe
local rules and laws; and abide by the philosophy,
structure, and regulations of our host agencies.
- A primary goal of the program is learning. Participants
are expected to prepare for the trip by completing
the packet of readings provided by the Community
Involvement Center and attending pre-trip orientation
meetings. In addition, participants will be encouraged
to keep journals and participate in-group reflection
while on the trip.
- The Community Involvement Center will assist
in arranging reasonable accommodations on-site
and arranging service work to be done in conjunction
with the host agencies. Nevertheless, the exact
nature and conditions of these accommodations and
work cannot be guaranteed. Many of the conditions
we expect at home (i.e. hot water, daily showers,
washers/dryers, privacy, etc.) may not be available.
- The participants will be responsible for participating
in all fundraising activities, including personal
solicitations.
- It is the participant's responsibility to obtain
a passport and any necessary visas (if required
for the trip) before he/she goes and to bring his/her
own spending money for free-time activities, a
few meals, and other personal expenses.
- It is the participant's responsibility to insure
he/she is covered by a travel/health insurance
plan for the duration of the program, which includes
emergency medical evacuation.
- The participants are responsible for making all
decisions regarding appropriate health precautions.
- Participants will not consume/use alcohol or
illegal drugs, smoke, or engage in sexual activity
while on the trip.
- Participants must at all times be with another
member of the group. In general, activities outside
the scope of the program will not be accommodated
and participants should not make outside commitments.
- All participants are required to follow all
safety guidelines established by the Community
Involvement Center while on an Alternative Spring
Break trip, as well as during travel to and from
the site.
- In addition, following the trip, group members
will be responsible for presentations and information
sessions to be given to the Rice community in the
fall semester.
- Once accepted into the program and the registration
fee is paid, participants are financially obligated
to the full purchase price of their plane ticket
and/or agency fees if they drop out for any reason,
since these are non-refundable and will cost more
than the initial $250 registration fee.
