When tasked with determining my 'dream ABP trip', I began to think of places I wan to travel to and social issues I have yet to work with. I reflected on my past trips and thought about what made them so impactful. I then realized that it is the transformative experience that occurs within each participant which truly distinguishes an Alternative Break trip.
We journey together to an unfamiliar community, eager to be agents of change, but not quite fully understanding what that means. We are immersed in a new space, simultaneously giving and learning. Our team's resiliency is often challenged as kinship develops within the group and with the outside community. As we learn about systems of oppression, meet individuals facing social issues and ally with organizations doing good work, something changes. Our consciousness is heightened, and we realize that our week long volunteer trip means more. We're taught to abandon previous assumptions and are left questioning what we once accepted at face value. Alternative Break isn't a week off but rather a week on.
My dream trip doesn't involve traveling to a specific destination or working with a new, innovative nonprofit. My dream ABP trip involves a heightened of consciousness developed after a week of building relationships and learning from a community we have served. It is through this increased awareness that we can reapproach social issues and work towards creating solutions.
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