WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MAY BE PROJECT PHOENIX’S LIMITATION

36,000, more than half a million university students arrive during the month of March to play and party, making it

the number one spring break destination in the United States.

A weeklong drinking binge is not for anyone, however, and a growing number of American university

students have found a way to make spring break matter. For them, joining or leading a group of volunteers to

travel locally or internationally and work to serve the community makes spring break a unique learning

experience that university students can feel good about.

During one spring break week, students at James Madison University in Virginia participated in 15

“alternative spring break” trips to nearby states, three others to more distant parts of the United States, and five

international trips. One group of JMU students traveled to Bogalusa, Louisiana, to help rebuild homes damaged

by Hurricane Katrina. Another group traveled to Mississippi to organize creative learning activities for literate

children living in an orphanage. One group of students did go to Florida, but not to lie on the sand. They

performed exhausting physical labor such as cleaning the beach, maintaining hiking trails and destroying invasive

plant species that threaten the native Florida ecosystem.

Students who participate in alternative spring break projects find them very rewarding. While most university

students have to get their degrees before they can start helping people, student volunteers are able to help people

now. On the other hand, the accommodations are far from glamorous. Students often sleep on the floor of a school

or spend the week camping in tents. But students only pay around $250 for meals and transportation, which is

much less than some of their peers’ expense on travelling to more traditional spring break hotspots.

Alternative spring break trips appear to be growing in popularity at universities across the United States.

Students cite a number of reasons for participating. Some appreciate the opportunity to socialize and meet new

friends. Others want to exercise their beliefs about people’s obligation to serve humanity and make the world a

better place. Whatever their reason, these students have discovered something that gives them rich rewards along

with a break from school work.