Shoshanna Sumka

Working Side by Side: Creating Alternative Breaks as Catalysts for Global Learning, Student Leadership, and Social Change Shoshanna Sumka

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; This guide for student and staff leaders involved with alternative break programmes offers practical advice, outlines effective programme components and practices, and presents the underlying community engagement and global learning theory. It also introduces practical skills for implementing each of the eight components of a quality alternative break programme. Table of Contents: AcknowledgementsPrefaceIntroductionPART ONE: FOUNDATIONS1) Alternative Breaks Defined2) A Brief History of Alternative Breaks: The Beginnings of the Movement3) Working Together for Justice: a Theoretical Framework4) Developing Community Partnerships for Mutual Benefit 5) Alternative Breaks as Catalysts of Active Citizenship PART TWO: KEY COMPONENTS OF ALTERNATIVE BREAKS6) The Eight Components: Foundations of a Successful Alternative Break Program7) Diversity and Social Justice: Addressing Power, Privilege, and Systems of Oppression8) Education: Understanding Social Issues9) Orientation: Learning about the Organization, Location, and Context10) Training: Building Skills11) Strong Direct Service: Working with Communities 12) Alcohol- and Drug-Free Programs: Practicing Full Engagement13) Reflection: Synthesizing Learning and Experience14) Reorientation: Active Citizens Reorganizing LocallyPART THREE: STUDENT LEADERSHIP, LEARNING, AND TRANSFORMATION15) Student Leadership in Action16) Program Structures and Leadership Roles17) Training Student Leaders18) Student Learning Outcomes, Assessment, and Evaluation PART FOUR: DEVELOPING AND STRENGTHENING ALTERNATIVE BREAK PROGRAMS19) Program Growth and Continual Improvement 20) Community Building 21) Recruiting Leaders and Participants22) Budgeting, Finances, and Fundraising23) Risk Management and Other Logistics PART FIVE: GOING GLOBAL24) The Complexities of International Alternative Breaks25) Developing International Community Partnerships26) Working with Intermediary Organizations PART SIX: A SOCIETY OF ACTIVE CITIZENS27) Working Collaboratively through Compacts and Collectives28) The Power of Alternative Break Alumni29) Vision for the Future of Alternative Breaks: A Call to ActionAppendicesIndex

Contributor Bio:  Sumka, Shoshanna Shoshanna Sumka is the Assistant Director of Global Learning and Leadership at American University, where she oversees the alternative break program and other international immersion programs. At AU, she developed the program from the ground up, created a leadership training curriculum, and increased participation by 300%. As a leader in international & experiential education, she has lived, worked and/or traveled extensively in Kenya, Israel, Indonesia, Venezuela, Zambia, Thailand, Colombia, Haiti, and India. She directed the University of Idaho s study abroad program in Ecuador where she taught courses on indigenous rights in the Amazon rain forest. She has a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Earlham College and a Master's in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland. Shoshanna was named Break Away Staff Person of the Year in 2012. Contributor Bio:  Porter, Melody Christine Melody Christine Porter is the Associate Director of Community Engagement at the College of William and Mary, where she supervises the alternative breaks program and develops community partnerships. Previously, she served as Director of Volunteer Emory at Emory University, where she developed an alternative fall break program. She has worked in nonprofit administration, ministry, and served as a full-time volunteer for three years after college, in Philadelphia, PA and Johannesburg, South Africa. Melody holds a Master s in Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and a BA in Political Science from Emory University. Melody was named Staff Person of the Year by Break Away in 2010, and her program at William and Mary received the Program of the Year award in 2011. Contributor Bio:  Piacitelli, Jill Jill Piacitelli is the co-Executive Director at Break Away, having led the organization since 2004. Jill has worked with alternative break programs in various capacities for over fifteen years: in various positions with Break Away: The Alternative Break Connection, as a staff advisor while working on the campuses of Johnson State College and the College of Eastern Utah, and as a volunteer coordinator at Provo City Parks. She studied sociology at Brigham Young University.