Each year, the GW Alternative Breaks program sends students on a number of winter and spring break trips. Each trip has its own service area, ranging from sustainable development to labor rights to youth engagement. The PAF program is proud to be a part of these service efforts at GW.
This winter, four first-year PAFs acted as Learning Partners for trips, representatives for the University that ensure that the trip runs smoothly. Learning Partners also play a key role in and making connections between the service activities done on the trip and broader topics.
Ashlynn Profit built a school out of tires; Khadija Lalani hosted mock interviews for at-risk youth; Chelsea Lenhart cultivated sustainable coffee plants; and Kelly Bartz worked with contractors to build a playground. These first-year fellows continued PAF’s tradition of service. Each fellow worked alongside a group of undergraduate students in locations ranging from Los Angeles to Nicaragua.
Kelly, who travelled to Nicaragua, enjoyed reflecting with GW students about “what motivates individuals to serve, how to value diversity, and other challenging topics.” The Nicaragua trip focused on community engagement and development, a concept that can be brought back to the DC metropolitan area.
While fostering student growth and learning is a major aspect of being a Learning Partner, PAFs also gained from the service trips. Khadija worked with The Garage Board Shop, a L.A. based non-profit that focuses on youth education and development. On her trip, she learned the importance of listening well to serve well: “We can only serve well if we can listen, understand, and empathize with the experiences of others first.”
In Guatemala, Ashlynn quickly became the “mom” of the group, and provided students with needed encouragement while completing service activities. Ashlynn was struck by the close relationship that she built with a community member named Raul. Ashlynn noted that “Raul and I didn’t even speak the same language, yet we were able to communicate and he taught me how to build shelves.”
In addition to manual labor and hands-on service projects, the PAFs also took part in cultural activities. Chelsea, volunteering in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, toured an organic coffee farm and coffee plant. She also learned how to salsa dance from the local community. She found that “engaging with the people who we were serving made all the difference in our trip. It gave meaning to our projects and made all of us excited to work each day.”