CIC Service Council
Alternative
Spring Break
Moorhead, MS
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, Maria Condacse (mic2@rice.edu)
and Gabi Huesca (gkh1@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.
Mississippi Delta
Are YOU ready for an eye-opening experience inside the problems facing our nation today such as poverty and lack of a proper education system?
Would YOU like to make a difference in a kid's life this spring break?
Then our Teach for America Alternative Spring Break trip is your perfect fit!
Come with us on the trip of a lifetime to the Mississippi Delta! Experience the essence of the South- imagine blues music, scrumptious seafood, cotton fields, stunning sunsets, flat and fertile alluvial plains, and star-filled night skies all in the background of the mighty Mississippi River.
But, let's not forget why we are in the Mississippi Delta...
- In the small town of Moorhead, population 2,500, 38% of families and 32.4% of all people are under the poverty line.
- Less than half of the students attend college, and 79% of the community is African- American.
- 95% of the students we will be working with are minorities and 93% of them qualify for free lunches.
- On average, only 10% of low income 8th graders scored proficient in math and 12.5% in reading in national exams.
But we can and will make the difference!
Teach for America
Of the 13 million children, growing up in poverty, about half will graduate from high school. Those that do graduate will perform on average at an 8th grade level.
Teach for America is a non-profit organization that employs recent college graduates from all academic majors to help reform low-income and rural public schools in order to close the achievement gap between kids from high and low income families and expand educational opportunities. Teach for America sees the injustice in the country's education system and striving to fix it. It is with this organization that we will be performing services needed in low-income public schools in Moorhead.
Service
We will be spending a week in Moorhead, MS helping public schools close the achievement gap between kids from low and high income families. We will be exploring what the needs of public schools are and trying to come up with corresponding solutions. Also, we will be spending two days painting and landscaping the schools to make them a more conducive environment for learning. The next three days will be spent helping Teach for America core members in the classroom doing one-on-one activities with the kids. One evening we will be going out for our cultural activity in Greenwood.
Accommodations
During our stay in Moorhead, we will either be living in a church, community center, or even Teach For America core member homes. Prior to departure, participants will be given a packing list, including pillows and bedding. Meals are not provided so we will either prepare meals in the facilities or go out to eat for several meals.
Activities
Moorhead is located forty five minutes away from Greenwood and Greenville, Mississippi where we will be going out for our cultural activity to explore the quaint towns by hopefully eating at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, world famous for steaks and hot tamales and then going out to enjoy the blues bar. Another important part of our trip is soaking in the breathtaking nature of the delta- exploring, hiking and possibly even canoeing!
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.
