Learning Partner Interest Form
Website: http://sites.lafayette.edu/asb/
Our Vision: To create a just society.
Our Mission: To empower the Lafayette College community to create positive change and foster passion
for civic engagement through alternative break experiences.
The Role of ASB Learning Partners: Each trip is led by a student team leader who has been trained to
handle responsibilities such as contacting the community partners and sharing logistical information
with the team. It is our vision the Learning Partner will not serve as another leader, but as an active
participant who will:
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Add educational value to the trip by contributing their life and professional perspective
Serve as a mature influence to encourage students to make wise choices
Act as a resource for team leaders and other team members by providing advice and support
Build relationships with the students while in a non-traditional role
Encourage long term relationship between the ASB Club and other Lafayette offices
The Learning Partner will also be expected to act on behalf of the College in the event of an emergency, as
well as handle the finances in relation to the travel advance. The Learning Partner can have as little or as
much involvement with the group as he or she desires. The teams meet approximately 5-7 times prior to
the trip. While attendance of Learning Partners at the meetings is not required, it will aid in trip
preparation and group building.
Accommodations/Amenities: Please be aware that ASB operates on a limited budget which requires
us to seek free and discounted housing and low-cost meal options. Our housing arrangements often
require our participants to sleep on cots in group facilities with shared kitchen and bathroom space. In
addition, we often purchase groceries and cook our own meals on a limited daily food budget. With that
being said, part of the ASB experience is to step outside our comfort zones to enter into the difficult work
of service. For many of the people with whom we are serving, the week-long ASB-like living
arrangements are the reality of daily life.
Lafayette College * Alternative School Break Club * Learning Partner Interest Form
Please return your completed form to Amber Zuber, 115d Farinon College Center by November 1st.
Name:
Department/Office:
Email:
Campus Address:
Campus Phone:
Are you willing to become an approved college driver to help transport students to/from your service
site:
Yes
No
Please provide brief responses to the following questions.
1. What motivates you to be a part of an ASB trip, more specifically to participate as a Learning Partner?
2. There are approximately 12 participants on each ASB trip. As an individual, what would you bring to
the group?
3. How will you contribute to ASB’s goal to enhance learning for our participants?
Trip Selection
Each trip and its dates are listed below. Please rank your preference of trip (1-3: 1-most preferred/ 3least preferred). If you have any questions please feel free to contact Amber Zuber
(zubera@lafayette.edu).
INTERIM TRIPS: January 16th-24th
____ “FOSTER Hope” – Foster Care in Urban America (Chicago, IL)
There are over 400,000 kids in the foster care system right now. Not only do they have improper family
care but they are also stigmatized and an at risk group for poverty, abuse, illness, homelessness, mental
health issues and other challenges. This trip will examine the complexity of the issue and its source,
taking a collaborative approach to help participants understand the intersectional reality of those living
in the foster care system and what barriers exist, especially in regards to adoption. Participants will
examine the current child welfare system and learn about current adoption policies and laws. They will
have the opportunity to help realize changes in a community that promotes support for children in every
kind of home and life situation and gives them a voice.
Team Leader: Alexandra Barton, ‘18
____ “POW! ‘Pards on Wheels” – Ensuring Respect and Dignity of Elderly Populations (NY, NY)
Respecting the dignity of people is important at all stages of another's life. The elderly population is often
regarded as the "forgotten," due to mobility issues and a drifting connection with the world they grew up
in and the world of today. In this ASB trip, volunteers will learn about respecting the dignity of
independence and value of elderly populations as they work to assist home-bound seniors, and help
those seniors make a mark on the lives of others even if they may feel isolated. This ASB team will help
feed the elderly and allow them to feel connected to the society that often has "left them behind" as they
interview and help write memoirs with seniors. There is no medicine more powerful than interaction
with other humans for these seniors.
Team Leader: Matthew Ackerman, ‘18
____ “F.U.T.U.R.E.” – Education Reform (McAllen, TX)
One of the key problems facing education today is the inability of students to access a quality education.
This problem has spurred debate within the academic community, all aimed at determining how new
innovative education systems could work to change the lives of students. Team F.U.T.U.R.E will examine
the education system and experience firsthand the ways in which educators are changing the outcomes
for their students. We will look at intersectional issues, including immigration and poverty and how they
affect the education process. Ultimately, Team F.U.T.U.R.E will tackle issues of education reform and learn
about how social action can affect change in our current education system.
Team Leader: Dana Barry, ‘17
SPRING TRIPS: March 19th – 25th
____ “Saints Go Marching In” - Long-Term Disaster Relief (New Orleans, LA)
Disaster can strike without warning and not only can lives be lost but that disaster can also impact those
lives that were saved in ways that are more catastrophic than the disaster itself. Can you imagine if you
and your family lost your home, your community and your culture? Could you help make life after
disaster possible by volunteering 1 week to help rebuild homes in disaster-impacted communities? The
job is not easy – you may be involved with mud/spackling rooms, installing a new floor, and painting a
small house (no experience is necessary!). Come on this trip and you will experience first-hand what goes
into the rebuilding effort. You will hear the stories of the survivors, and you will be part of a solution that
has already rebuilt so many homes, though more are still needed. You will have an opportunity to learn
from the residents that we help how their lives were forever changed, the impact on their jobs, and their
culture. In the end, you will be helping to provide affordable housing for people who have lost it all – but
when you look deeper you realize you will be helping to preserve a culture with a passion for life.
Team Leader: Hannah Goldstein ‘17
____ “Home for Hope” – HIV/AIDS Housing, Healthcare, and Hunger Relief (New Orleans, LA)
We will be volunteering with an organization that provides permanent and transitional housing along
with full support services to adults and families living with AIDS or HIV-related illnesses. The services
includes assistance in daily living activities, meals, personal care, medication monitoring, and substance
abuse programs and counseling. The organization also helps patients develop important life skills, such
as budgeting, interviewing for a job, applying for an apartment and obtaining a driver’s license, as well as
weekly social support groups and psychosocial services. Our volunteer work will help with these daily
living services and social support groups, and give us a chance to get to know the residents and their
stories.
Team Leader: Camila Moscoso, ‘16