Application of Knowledge

Over the run of Alternative Spring Break being an active citizen has been heavily discussed. At the beginning of ASB, students were asked where they fall on the active citizen continuum. I feel that over the course of our immersion trip, traveling to Dallas allowed students to move up one "rank" on the continuum or if they felt they were already active citizens, ASB helped them reflect on their past experiences. In general, our experiences fueled our thirst of service for the future.

The journey from being a conscientious citizen to active citizenship is not easy. The journey prompted individuals to reassess their values and beliefs about service. Through the immersion trip, students were able to expand on their beliefs and values through first-hand experiences.

The immersion allowed us, students, to comprehend the importance of active citizenship.

The deprivation trap explains why those in poverty struggle to escape poverty. In a simple explanation, each of the five factors shown in the image above could lead to another factor. So, if a person was experiencing vulnerability, they have a higher chance of feeling powerlessness compared to individuals who are not vulnerable. Once an individual is affected by a few factors, it is extremely difficult to escape the trapping circle.

During the Dallas immersion trip, we were able to see this deprivation trap "come to life." During our time with AIN, we were able to converse with individuals who were affected by the deprivation trap. It was eye-opening to hear people who were affected by the deprivation trap express their opinions on different issues related to the trap and themselves. One man spoke abut the idea of money. He said, "for most people seven dollars is nothing, but for me seven dollars is everything." Statements like this, helped our group understand the true effects of those affected by poverty.

Alternative Spring Break emphasizes the opportunity to learn while serving with others, but we are reminded that our service/learning should never compromise the communities we work with. The individuals we meet are not a "means" to an end and we should be conscious of the words and actions we use in order to practice ethical leadership. We learned that more often than not people did not choose the situation they are currently in.

While in Dallas, we served with North Texas Food Bank. We learned about their "food 4 kids: backpack program" in which some children—who normally are provided free or reduced-price meals during a school week— are sent home with a backpack full of nutritious food every Friday during the academic year to combat hunger on the weekends. The realization that these children are not dictating their current situation and it is often out of their capability to change how they grow up can change one's perception about social disparities.

While working with Divine Kinship, we were informed that there are numerous food deserts in Dallas; however, some people can only afford to live in certain areas that make lack access to necessary resources like health care, education, or healthy food. One individual cannot control the institutionalized levels of oppression that further implore the disparities between different socioeconomic status "neighborhoods" and their access to services. This ties in closely with the ideas of the deprivation trap.