Branch Out Alternative Breaks: More Than Trips

Over the past two weeks, the site leaders for Branch Out National and Branch Out International have been delving into the big picture of why we do alternative breaks, exploring the topics of privilege and social justice.

Alternative break leaders have a lot of responsibilities – managing money, communicating with host sites, coming up with icebreakers that will not earn the scorn of their team members.  But we took some time away from these nitty-gritty issues to step back and explore why we do alternative breaks, and how to make them more than just “trips” that last for a week or two.

We talk about the difference between diversity and privilege and how privilege always involves power, and someone always feels the negative effects of it.  We discussed the types of privilege and experiences of oppression that would be present within our groups, and within the communities we take up residence in during alternative breaks.  The site leaders reflected on how their own privilege would be an asset and a liability in these interactions, and how the ways they’ve experienced oppression may affect dynamics on the trip for them, too.

When it all comes down to it, Branch Out alternative breaks (between 30 and 35 trips each year) are about more than sending groups of students to “get their hands dirty” for a weekend, a week, or two, or three…  Our alternative breaks immerse students in a new community, complete with its history and social dynamics, focused in particular on one social issue.  Students begin to recognize how systems work in the communities they go to, and to see how people in those communities experience privilege or oppression.  They are able to address those issues hands-on with service projects, but also for much longer, sharing what they learned after their trips.

Our site leaders left these trainings, knowing more about each other and themselves, and ready to take others not just on a trip, but on a journey of reflection and action.