Tiffany Edmondson
Staff Writer
The Center for Service and Community Engaged Learning will be making efforts to help the international community. Instead of serving communities locally and nationally during alternative breaks, from November 10-23 students will be serving in Shanghai, China.
JSU’s CSCEL has teamed up with JSU’s China Initiatives program to not only expose students to international travel but allow them to establish a better understanding of the Chinese culture and people through service.
Students will not be alone when they travel to Shanghai. Faculty, staff, alumni, graduate students and even university health officials will be making the trip.
Vice President of Student Life, Marcus Chanay, stated that this break will be a great opportunity for the students as well as the faculty and alumni.
“This will create a better relationship with alumni because they’ll be able to see what we do on campus, and they will be able to give input to other alumni,” said Chanay.
Valerie J. Shelby, CSCEL Director, will also be traveling with the group.
Shelby said, “Students will see that service is a global need and that the same social conditions and challenges that exist here are alike in other places.”
The alternative break program started in 2004 and this service project in Shanghai, China is the 9th one that JSU has offered. Although there is not enough funding to financially support more students to go, Shelby hopes that every student at the university will be able to experience an alternative break.
Participants will receive a break on the overall expenses for their trip. Usually, $1,250 is the cost of airfare alone, but this is what participants will pay to cover the cost of airfare, food and housing for two weeks.
According to Mei Chi Piletz, director of China Initiatives, students will be living in the newly renovated guest housing for international students at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
The itinerary has not been completed but Piletz said that participants will visit a nursing home, an orphanage, and they will participate in some green programs for energy efficiency.
“We are also trying to encourage students to put together a service learning program that they would like to do because some of our students did it in Taipei, Taiwan when they were studying abroad,” said Piletz.
Piletz said this alternative break trip will definitely broaden everyone’s international horizons because they will get a first hand look at how people are in need everywhere in the world.
“You learn through helping people, and this will give students a global experience that will teach them about other people and cultures,” said Piletz.
Until it’s time for the students to depart for Shanghai, they will host fundraisers and sell raffle tickets to offset the cost of their trip. On Friday, September 9th, China Initiatives will hold their annual Chinese Moon Festival on campus. The group will offer food, door prizes, raffles and a silent auction to help raise money for students to travel abroad.
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