Global Learning Experience Spring 2021

Alternative Spring Break 2021

Due to COVID-19, the usual global learning experience commonly held during Dominican's scheduled spring break was unable to occur and instead, took place virtually through scheduled Zoom calls.

The alternative spring break "trip" took course over four days through the university's Campus Ministry, led by Sister Mary and Giulia Welch.

The structure of each day followed a similar format:

• Meet on Zoom at 9:00-10:30AM for the morning blessing, presentation of the day's theme, guest speakers, and morning discussion

• Individual time between 10:30AM-6:00PM to complete assignments and tasks such as watching documentaries, reading articles, and watching videos which were often followed by a journaling prompt

• Meet on Zoom from 6:00-8:00PM to review content, reflection activities, and closing blessings

Each day, the journaling prompts vary based on the topic discussed for the day. Four of the main topics our discussions on the spring break trip was centered around include food insecurity, homelessness, fast fashion, and deportation of former United States Veterans.

Some examples of the journaling prompts include:

• What feelings did you have as you scrolled through the pictures? What differences did you notice about the food, the quantity of food, the number of people, and the surroundings.

• What did you learn about the interconnectivity of the clothing industry, the environment and personal and planetary health?

Day 4 Guest Speaker: Robert Vivar, Director of the Unified US Deported Veterans Resource Center

Robert Vivar holds the role and responsibilities as the Director of the Unified US Deported Veterans Resource Center in Tijuana, Mexico. The organization itself has the goal of assisting and connecting US veterans deported to Mexico from the United States with resources including housing, financial, medical, and employment.