It's an awesome opportunity to be with a group of students who have different backgrounds and talking about these difficult issues.  You get to learn from one another and learn about working together towards a common goal. I went on a winter trip last year and made (what I hope) long lasting friendships. I became friends with people that I other wise might not have met.  That's so crazy to think about because I can truly say that I love the girls on my trip (it just so happened to be a rare trip of 16 girls that got along really well with one another).

This is the fifth year that the Alternative Breaks will be sending trips here at the university and the first year that there will be summer trips! Trips this summer will be in Boston, Washington DC/Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Ecuador. Applications to be a trip leader are due this Monday November 23 (having been a trip leader or gone on a trip in the past is not necessary)! 

As a trip leader you help plan the trip.  It's a great chance to learn about organizing and building relationships with community organizations and people. You will have trianing and support along the way, so don't be afraid.

For more information visit the Alternative Breaks website or send an email with question to StampAlternativeBreaks@gmail.com.

While I love being at a big school sometimes we tend to believe that we are a number that has little say in decisions made at the school.  While it takes more effort than it probably does at a smaller school to be known and meet administrators and to gain a better understanding of how decisions are made at the university it is not impossible.

As students we often go about going to classes, hanging out with friends, attending some meetings here and there without realizing that we are a part of an institution that impacts the community we live in. What we don't often realize is that we can have a say in the decision making process at the university and at the very least have our voices as students heard by the adminstration.

Having lunch with Dr. Mote may not change how the university is run, but I think it's important that we express ourselves whenever possible. It's also an opportunity to learn about the president of our school and his perspective.  During lunch he asked us, "if you were president of the school what is the one thing you would do?" That's a pretty big question and I think it's a great opportunity for both the students and Dr. Mote to hear each other's voices.

I think it's great that he is seeking to stay connected to the student body. It's an opportunity to learn more about the administration, speak your voice as a college student, and a free lunch at Adele's! All you need to do is email Dr. Mote at president@umd.edu and ask to have lunch with him.

With these difficulties, it's no wonder that depression and thoughts of suicide are common amongst college students. Because of that, I thought it was important to let you all know about Suicide Awareness Week, and what's going on for that. Most of the week's events are already over, but there are two left:

11/19 10a-2p: National Depression Screening Day @ Stamp Food Court 'B'

11/21 1p-2:30p: National Survivors of Suicide Day @ Stamp Edgar Allan Poe Room

I highly encourage you to stop by one of these events tomorrow or Saturday. Check out the facebook event for them here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151203189024&ref=mf, and the Health Center's website which lists info for S.A.H.E.T: Suicide Awareness Health Education and Training at http://www.health.umd.edu/programs/peereducation.html. 

And as always, if you need someone to talk to, call the Help Center at 301-314-HELP. 

-Nehama

I have personally never been to a powwow and am excited to experience and learn something new.  In our history classes we never hear the voices and perspectives of the indigenous people who were here long before European colonizers.  We should learn about all of our history and the people that make up America today. How do we live in harmony without taking the time to understand one another?  America is rich with culture and we should take hold of it.

 I feel that there is a lot to learn from indigenous peoples.  There are events going on all month as part of American Indian Heritage Month.

Check it out!

(This week is also Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.. lots of things going on campus.. take advantage of it :)

 Peace,

Sasha

SAB is just like it sounds - it's a group of undergraduate, graduate, faculty, staff and alumni that advises the Stamp on just about anything you can think of.  From what restaurant should fill the vacant Steak Escape spot in the Food Court to the late night social policy to the bookstore to student group offices in the Student Involvement Suite, the SAB does it all.  And let's not forget the fundamental task of reviewing the allocation of student fees.

SAB is looking for new members for the Spring semester.  We've got multiple positions open!  For more info and to apply, check it out here:

http://www.thestamp.umd.edu/uab

Applications are due November 20th (the end of the week!) so don't delay!

Hey all,

I stumbled across this announcement on the UMD homepage today: "H1N1 Vaccine Clinics at the University Health Center." Here's all the specifics: The Health Center will be offering free (for students) H1N1 vaccines tomorrow and Wednesday, from 5-7 pm. Staff and faculty must pay $12. Everyone must bring their UMD ID card.

There will also be a seasonal flu clinic tomorrow from 8:30-11:30 am and from 1:30-4 pm for the FluMist nasal vaccines. There's not many left, so it's first come, first served, at a cost of $20 for students, $25 for faculty/staff, and $30 for visitors. The Health Center is hoping to get more injectable flu vaccines in soon--check out their website at http://www.health.umd.edu/ for any updates. 

So what does the flu vaccine have to do with civic engagement? Why am I bothering to write about this here? I could argue that vaccines are important because we have a duty not to harm others. If we stay healthy, we're not infecting others. But that's kind of a lame argument for why the flu vaccine and civic engagement are related.

For those of us who have been receiving vaccines our entire lives without much thought, we may not have realized that there is a swarm of controversy over vaccines. Some people believe that vaccines are incredibly dangerous and unnatural. They believe that there are serious illnesses that can result from the chemicals and organisms present in vaccine formulations, such as autism. 

However, imagine a world in which people were not vaccinated. That world existed until the 1770s, when Edward Jenner developed a vaccine of cowpox to prevent the smallpox disease. We would live much shorter lives, and diseases like measles, mumps, smallpox, and others would be rampant. 

This controversy is largely contained between the medical community and the community of people who have somehow been affected or harmed by vaccines. However, it is still important for us to understand what the issues are when it comes to vaccines. Do some googling (make sure your sites are reputable!), and see what you find! And then, let me know what you think!

-Nehama

Next week (Novemember 15-21) is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. 

Maryland will be joing people around the nation to bring light to a serious issue facing many Americans and people around the world.  Often times there are many sterotypes around the issue of homelessness.  There will be speakers, documentaries, and service events happening all next week that will allow us to get a better understanding of homelessness. 

Events will include a panel of people who are currently homeless or who have been homeless, a hunger banquet, and participating in the National Homelessness Walk. All events are posted on the Community Service-Learning office. I'm excited to hear the panel as we often can make assumptions about those who are homeless, but it's only when we hear their stories that we learn all of the complexities and reality of the issue.

The final thing I want to discuss about my experience at the GA was the idea of "nextgen," or the next generation--which we represent! This term was thrown around during much of the conference, until the point when I felt a huge weight of responsibility weighing me down. Apparently, we are supposed to solve hunger, climate change, HIV/AIDS, the global financial crisis, and much more...NOW. We haven't done it yet, but we have to, because all of the other capable people on this planet, who just happen to be older than us, have decided to pass all responsibility on to us. Why? Because we're nextgen, and we're pretty much the answer to everything. Sea levels are rising? It's okay, nextgen will take care of it. A war is imminent in the Middle East? No worries, nextgen will do something about it. iPhones are only available on AT&T? Nextgen is on it. 

While that's all a bit of an exaggeration, it does convey some of the pressures I felt. What was most annoying about all of this was that at the same time that panelists and speakers were discussing nextgen, I was sitting in the audience, feeling incredibly invisible. One session I went to was about Health and Human Services in Vulnerable Populations. I thought vulnerable populations would include the elderly, the disabled, the poor, the young, and so on. However, the session was almost entirely about elderly people, nursing homes, and accessible transportation for the elderly. One panelist said something about nextgen being there to take over, but I, as one of two nextgen representatives in the room, wondered how we were supposed to take over when we weren't represented or acknowledged in the session. 

On the last night of the conference, all the college students had a discussion with Wayne Firestone, the President of Hillel International. A lot of different opinions flowed around the room, some controversial, others upset, and others exhilarated. We all had different experiences at the GA, and all had different ideas of what it meant to be nextgen. What was clear to me, however, was that there was an INCREDIBLE amount of passion in that room. We each had different things we learned from the conference and are choosing to bring back to our home communities. Even though the adults in our world are leaving us with a huge amount of responsibility while simultaneously disregarding us, we are still able to move ahead and to transform our world into a place that we can be proud of. We are doing wonderful things in our own ways, and I am grateful that attending the GA allowed me to realize that.

-Nehama

Besides great speakers, the GA also had dozens of different sessions and workshops. A few of them in particular stood out to me. One was called "Service: An Expression of Jewish Values" and discussed the role of service in peoples' daily lives--especially in the lives of teenagers and young adults. Each of the speakers was involved in a different organization or group that aimed to get people to volunteer, and I was able to learn from each. However, the final speaker, Nancy Lublin, the CEO of dosomething.org and the founder of Dress for Success, astounded me. She laid out eleven commandments (yes, eleven) for getting our generation involved, and some of them really stuck with me. They are designed for an older group, but I was still able to learn how to get my friends and peers involved, and I even realized a few new things about myself! Here are the ones I found most meaningful:

• Shoot for authentic and genuine, not "cool." We can detect when adults are trying to be fake. Number one way to tell? The use of the word "cool." Apparently, "cool" is only used by those who are trying to be "cool." Trying is fake. 
• Customize! Our generation customizes everything, from our coffee to our shoes. Service opportunities must be customizable for individuals. 
• "Serve" and "volunteer" aren't motivating. Use specific things or causes. Research has shown that people are more likely to get involved when it's to support a specific cause, rather than a general idea of helping. 
• We are a BUSY generation. Finally, someone said it! Rather than blame society, parents, or the College Board for making our generation over-involved, Nancy emphasized the importance of fitting service projects around our busy schedules, whether by making them at different times, or making them flexible, one-time events. 
• "Community service" is a lousy term. Self-explanatory.
• Make things FUN. Self-explanatory...but awesome!

I am planning on incorporating some of these tips into my student group and seeing what happens. Look these over and see if there's a way you can incorporate them into your life as well when encouraging others to do service! Let me know how it goes!

(The final part of my GA update will be up soon!)

-Nehama