Service Trips

Partnering with Amizade, a Global Service-Learning Group with over 28 years of experience, 10-12 LVC students and 1 staff member will participate in a service-learning trip to Trinidad & Tobago.

In Port of Spain and Matura, team members will take a unique look at conservation, community development and cultural heritage.  Unique service opportunities include supporting the sustainable forestry efforts of Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project and the leatherback turtle protection work of Nature Seekers.

Dates

• Depart from LVC: Saturday, January 6, 2024
• Return to LVC: Friday, January 12, 2024

*Resident students may return to campus on January 5 and move into their residence hall for the spring semester.  The group will travel together to and from the airport via mini-bus.

General Program Overview from Amizade

This service-learning experience offers a unique look at conservation, community development and cultural heritage through work with local NGOs. Our service work will be somewhat environmentally focused as we engaged with the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project and the turtle conservation work of Nature Seekers. Our trip will take us from the more urban and industrial setting in Port of Spain to the rural space of Matura. In all of this we will engage in community-driven service and learning, ensuring that our presence brings only a positive impact to the communities in which we engage. Balanced with hands-on service experiences our time will be spent learning about and growing our appreciation of a culture different than our own. Local leaders regularly welcome US college groups and have thorough safety measures in place for their guests.

Accommodations

Participants will spend 4 nights at Samise Villa in Port of Spain and 2 nights at Nature Seekers in Matura, with meals included.

Planning Timeline

• Mon., Sept. 18: Online application due
• Fri., Sept. 29: Participant selections announced via e-mail
• Wed., Oct. 11: $300 non-refundable deposit and all paperwork due
• Tue., Jan, 2: Final payment due
• Mandatory 2 group planning meetings (dates TBD)
• Mandatory post-trip reflection paper due (February 2024)
• Mandatory post-trip sharing session (February 2024)

NOTE:  If you do not possess a passport with an expiration date later than August 1, 2024, apply or re-apply for one immediately.  You will need the passport by October 1 when our flights will be finalized.

Cost

Program cost: Approximately $1,600 per person (Covers all lodging, meals, ground transportation, program fees and outings.)

Airfare: Flight rates are currently being negotiated and will be in addition to the program cost. The Office of Service and Volunteerism will book the flights, and the group will fly together.

This trip fulfills the residential service project requirement for the Gold Service Award as well as one Immersive Experience requirement.

Partnering with Amizade, a Global Service-Learning Group with over 28 years of experience, 10-14 LVC students and 1 staff member will participate in a service-learning trip to Washington, D.C.

In our nation’s capital, team members will explore the history, causes and consequences of homelessness and food insecurity.  In addition to service with various community organizations and hearing from local speakers, the group will also visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, African American Museum and Holocaust Museum.

Dates

• Depart from LVC: Saturday, March 2, 2024 around noon (exact time TBD)
• Return to LVC: Thursday, March 7, 2024 by early afternoon (exact time TBD)

*We will travel to and from Washington, D.C. as a group via mini-bus.

General Program Overview from Amizade

During this trip, participants will explore the history, causes and consequences of homelessness and food insecurity in the U.S. through dynamic service-learning opportunities at a wide variety of community and non-profit organizations.  Through discussions, interactions with speakers and educational workshops, students will compare the strengths and limitations of emergency food and housing programs, federal food and nutrition assistance and community-based approaches to organizing for change.  Additionally, they will be afforded the opportunity to explore and make connections between food insecurity/lack of affordable housing and the history of racial injustice in the United States.  To affect change on personal and interpersonal levels, structured group reflections and shared learning experiences will enable students to:

• Strengthen relationships and create shared context
• Survey the community and develop the courage to open themselves to new perspectives
• Raise difficult issues and foster critical reflection
• Link DC issues to global issues
• Establish creative tension between the current reality and the future

During the trip, some of the partner organizations with which we will work include Martha’s Table, Bread for the City, Food and Friends, DC Central Kitchen, The National Coalition for the Homeless, and more.

Other Washington DC Experiences

During the trip, we will also visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the African American Museum, Holocaust Museum, and more.

Accommodations

Hostel-style accommodations with all meals included.

Planning Timeline

• Mon., Sept. 18: Online application due
• Fri., Sept. 29: Participant selections announced via e-mail
• Wed., Oct. 11: $300 non-refundable deposit and all paperwork due
• Fri., Dec. 8: Final payment due
• Mandatory 2 group planning meetings (dates TBD)
• Mandatory post-trip reflection paper due (by early April 2024)
• Mandatory post-trip campus sharing session (April 2024)

Cost

Approximately $1,000 per person (Covers all lodging, meals, transportation, program fees and outings.)

This trip fulfills the residential service project requirement for the Gold Service Award as well as one Immersive Experience requirement.