Immersion Programs
The Center for Social Change and Community Involvement’s Immersion Program (Formerly know as Alternative Breaks) offers a variety of in-depth service-learning experiences for Lewis & Clark undergraduate students. These programs are aimed at connecting and supporting students with critical forms of community service as a catalyst for social change.
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Lewis & Clark students pose as a group in downtown D.C. -
Lewis & Clark students pose next to a colorful bear statue while exploring D.C. -
Lewis & Clark students pose in front of the volunteer site “Bread for the City” in D.C. -
Lewis & Clark students pose alongside their volunteer project in D.C. -
Lewis & Clark students work to sort fruit into kits at their volunteer site in D.C. -
Students work to unload a van with materials for their volunteer site. -
A botanical garden in Oaxaca, Mexico- Seen during the immersion trip. -
Lewis & Clark students strike a pose as a group in Oaxaca, Mexico. -
A Lewis & Clark student poses in front of pyramids in Oaxaca, Mexico. -
A Lewis & Clark student poses with a handmade, traditional rug and the artist who made it in Oaxaca, Mexico. -
A Lewis & Clark student poses on an earth-made staircase in Oaxaca, Mexico. -
Lewis & Clark students pose in front of a large tree at a park in Oaxaca, Mexico. -
A Oaxacan church contrasted by a cloudy blue sky. -
Three Lewis & Clark students pose with a tuber harvested in Puerto Rico. -
Lewis & Clark students pose with a tree sapling in front of the ocean in Puerto Rico. -
Lewis & Clark students paint an exterior wall white in Puerto Rico. -
Lewis & Clark students hike with saplings to plant in Puerto Rico. -
Lewis & Clark students build bunk beds in a home in Puerto Rico. -
A Lewis & Clark student crouches down to apply white spackling to a home in Puerto Rico. -
Lewis & Clark students work to strip the walls of old paint in a house in Puerto Rico.
The Center for Social Change and Community Involvement launched the Alternative Break Program as a primary means to promote co-curricular opportunities for civic engagement, social change, and global learning. These programs provide a valuable way to learn from and become immersed in diverse communities and social environments that aim to expand each participant’s understanding of critical social issues and the possibilities for social change. Ranging in length from a one-day to a week-long experience, students are connected to opportunities for direct service and learning through community engagement with integrated dialogue and reflection.
The program incorporates a critical service-learning model built on a foundation of mutually beneficial community-campus partnerships by integrating educational components with service work and reflection activities to foster personal growth and leadership development through community projects, education sessions, and team-building exercises.