As a member of the Affordable Housing trip, students work with the People’s Homestead Group to rebuild abandoned housing units. The organization is very prepared, organized, and excited to work with GVSU students each year. It is fun to see the progress made throughout the week on not only the unit the students are rebuilding, but the community area as a whole.
Students will be partnering with an organization that promotes women in the construction workforce while they help put the finishing touches on the interior of affordable housing units. They will have the opportunity to learn construction skills, about building green, and why it is important for women to have a place in the construction workforce.
Students on the Animal Rights trip work with the Peace River Refuge and Ranch on a wildlife refuge. In the past, students have build cages for various types of animals, cleaned out buildings, and worked on small landscaping projects. They also get to work with exotic animals, such as tigers and spider monkeys!
Participants will be helping keep the midwest's largest farmed animal sanctuary clean and the animals happy as well as help out with any big project the farm has planned.
New this year, students who participate in the College of Education Youth and Poverty trip will travel to an area of the country that is largely affected by generational poverty. Students will become educated about the implications that surround generational poverty and how it effects the local youth. Projects include cleaning and painting, working at nearby schools, and participating in an after-school-program for grades K-12. Students will have the opportunity to interact with youth of a very diverse population while tutoring with homework and reading.
Students who participate in the College of Education Youth and Wishes trip work with Give Kids the World, which helps terminally-ill children who’s last wish is to experience Disney. Students help in various aspects of GKTW, such as cleaning, painting, and working in the different areas of the resort. The children who stay at GKTW get to experience things like a 24-hour ice cream shop, various Disney characters at dinner, and “Tea with the Princesses”. GVSU students aid in making the week fun and safe for the children and their families who attend.
Students will be working with a high-risk population, providing them with choices to make safer life decisions. They will be helping with outreach, meal preparation, community cleanups, as well as many other possibilities. This is a great trip for those who want to learn about inner city social issues.
The Cultural Awareness trip partners with a concerned-citizens group to help work against the gentrification of a small community being over-run by the tourism industry. Students perform various volunteer tasks such as cleaning and painting houses, working with the Boys and Girls Club, helping out at the local schools or the library, and visiting with community members. The town is very welcoming and students return with a greater understanding of the gentrification issue.
Students who participate in the Disaster Relief trip will work with an organization to help rebuild homes in a community that has been affected by hurricane Katrina. This is a different site than the one we had last year, and we are excited to send students to a new location in the country to help with this environmental issue.
Students who participate in the Domestic Violence trip spend the week working with a family services organization and spend their time at a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Students perform various jobs around the shelter and transitional housing, such as organizing toiletries, painting rooms in the shelter, and cleaning out storage closets. This trip also works with an after school program for at-risk youth and their parents. Students stay right on site at the shelter’s transitional housing and have the opportunity to eat meals with the residents of the shelter.
As a member of the Health and AIDS trip, students work with the Food and Friends organization that delivers meals to HIV-positive and AIDS patients. Students work to sort and package food throughout the week, as well as learn about the issue of HIV/AIDS and the way it affects not only individual lives but also communities and our world as a whole.
Students will be helping improve the health and build the self-sufficiency of those impacted by HIV and AIDS by delivering meals, stocking shelves, and other odds and ends.
The Hunger and Homelessness trip works with two organizations: The Dinner Program for Homeless Women and a culinary arts school for homeless people. With the DPWH, students work to serve breakfast and dinner to the homeless from local shelters, and they also get to meet and eat with those who attend each meal. The culinary arts school amazing--not only do they teach homeless men and women job skills that they need to be hired for a job, the food that is made while they're learning feeds several large homeless shelters in the area. Both organizations help put a face on homelessness.
Help run activities at this weekend respite camp for individuals with special needs.
Students will be making a connection with the elderly on this trip while they help with in-home repairs.
As a member of the Native American Culture trip, students work with the Cherokee Nation on various volunteer tasks throughout the week. The organization is very interested in educating students about the community and love answering any questions that arise. The beautiful landscaping that surrounds the area makes appreciating nature an essential part of this trip. Students also get to participate in a mean game of stick-ball against our local rival, Saginaw Valley State University!
This is a special one day trip aimed for the Student Environmental Coalition. Students will be helping with odds and ends to keep a nature preserve in Michigan looking beautiful and staying healthy.
Students participating in the Path Creations trip work extensively throughout the week on the Cumberland Trail to build a segment of a trail in a national forest. Moving boulders, digging in the dirt, and enjoying the outside are all exciting parts of this trip. Visits from the local DNR members help to educate the students about the changes to the forest, the history of the area, and the progress that’s being made. On the last night of the trip the group gets to participate in a hoe-down, which is a ton of fun!
This is the first year that students have the opportunity to participate in this trip, Refugee Resettlement, which works with a resettlement agency in an area where refugees are heavily populated. Students will become educated about the refugee resettlement process and gain a greater understanding of the struggles that surround it. Various cleaning and organizational tasks will be preformed around the agency to help them better serve their refugee clients. Students will also have the opportunity to interact with refugees through some sort activity, such as a yard sale or BBQ.
The River Restoration trip works with the Nature Conservancy organization to help prevent erosion and pollution along a river stream. Students plant trees and shrubs throughout the week to help keep the soil along the banks. Students also visit a fish and mussel farm where they are educated about the issue and gain an understanding of why the service they are performing is so important. This environmental trip definitely involves spending time in the great outdoors!
Students on the Rural Culture trip work in a small, impoverish community where a cotton mill several decades ago relocated and left locals without jobs or much opportunity to rebuild. Students stay in an old theatre built in the 1920’s and spend the week performing various volunteer tasks around the community. Painting, cleaning, washing fire trucks and hoses, and volunteering in local schools have all been a part of this trip in the past. Another great thing about this community: They feed our students very well, as the community organizes several potlucks throughout the week!
Students who participate in the Trails trip spend the week working on a section of trail in a state park. Last year the group helped to create a new section of a path that allowed water run-off to pass through the rocks at the base without damaging the trail. The organization is great to work with, and they go out of their way to make our students feel comfortable and have an enjoyable time. They are very grateful that GVSU comes down there yearly to help them.
This trip works with a wildlife refuge performing various tasks that are needed to improve the area. Trips in the past have build platforms for birds to nest on, removed trash from the refuge, cleared a trail through palm plants, and pulled up fencing near trees. The forest rangers that the students work with are really friendly and enjoy educating the students about the different environmental issues. It’s been said that students are able to take a swamp tour to learn more about the culture, and that they will see tons of alligators throughout the week!
Students on the Youth and Education trip work with National Schools and Community Corps in an elementary school in an at-risk area. Students are split up and assigned to classrooms where they volunteer throughout the week, which allows them to develop a relationship with the children and teacher in their classroom. At lunch, recess, and after school, the entire group is together to play games, tutor, and interact with the children. At the end of each day the group comes together to share their individual stories of the day and to reflect on the issue of at-risk youth in education.
Help kids learn about science during this overnight museum program.
The Youth and Poverty trip works with the Macon Program for Progress organization, which runs a Headstart program for at-risk preschool children. Students learn about the issue of poverty and how it affects families and children. Reading books, helping with meals, putting on a puppet show are all part of this amazing experience. Additionally, the group also volunteers at a nearby food pantry and the local Habitat for Humanity thrift store.