Williams News Logo
Grand Canyon News Logo

Trusted local news leader for Williams AZ and the Grand Canyon

Spring break not just for rest and relaxation

College students from the east coast plant trees around the Science and Resource management building at Grand Canyon National Park as part of their week-long alternative spring break training. Clara Beard/WGCN

College students from the east coast plant trees around the Science and Resource management building at Grand Canyon National Park as part of their week-long alternative spring break training. Clara Beard/WGCN

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - Last month, students and college leaders from all over the country converged on Grand Canyon National Park, ready to learn how to put on a different kind of spring break, one focused on service projects.

BreakAway, an organization that trains students and staff leaders on the best practices of how to put on an alternative spring break, works with about 180 college campuses.

"It's recruitments and selections and fundraising strategic planning. Everything that goes into planning an alternative spring break," executive director of BreakAway, Jill Piacitelli explained. "We do half days of those types or workshops and the other half is spent exploring and doing service around a particular social issue."

During the BreakAway camp at Grand Canyon, Piacitelli said the student leaders took part in about 17 workshops. Five were based on environmental issues and the others focused on service-based programs. The students commit to four hours a day of volunteer service work.

"Some of the projects include re-vegetation around the science and resource building, and then the hazard tree program," Piacitelli said. "The name of this conference was 'Preservation by the People, for the People,' so we're focusing on ways that National Parks and what they do, kind of their protection and conservation is a part of the bigger environmental story line going on."

In four days of service the students can put in 700 hours of volunteer service to the park. That equates to more than $15,000 worth of volunteer service.

"There are schools that are here, like UCLA, that are learning how to launch their alternative break program," Piacitelli said. "Other schools like James Madison are coming to learn how to refine their practice. They have a program that's so huge, they are looking to collaborate with the National Parks because they want to make sure that the work that they're doing has the highest possible impact."

In the past year, Grand Canyon National Park played host to five to seven schools from across the nation for spring break.

The park's volunteer co-ordinator, Todd Nelson, said next year the park hopes to expand its alternative spring break program so more students can have the opportunity to do service work at the Canyon.

"March is usually tough for camping, but next year the park hopes to have some additional cabins," he said.


Donate Report a Typo Contact