United Way Alternative Spring Break: Break Through with Original Gangster’s Academy
Posted August 2nd, 2008 by adminBy Kylie Poppen, Junior, Riverstone International School United Way Intern
Every student looks forward to Spring Break – a week long recess from school. Some schools affectionately call it “slack week.” But this last spring break, nearly seventy high school students passed on slacking and decided to make a difference instead.
This was the first year for “Break Through.” Break Through is an alternative Spring Break option for volunteer students throughout the Treasure Valley, combining meaningful service learning projects with lots of fun. I was one of the four students who had the opportunity to serve on the Steering Committee for Break Through this past year.
Building benches during Alternative Spring Break
Last October, Neva Geisler, the United Way Volunteer Center Director, challenged us to put together a project that would persuade students to give up part of their Spring Break to work – to help others and build community. After brainstorming project ideas, we decided to partner with the Original Gangster’s Basic Academy of Development.
OGsBAD, is not exactly what it might sound like. It is an alternative school in Nampa that provides youth at risk of gang involvement with positive alternatives through tutoring, job training, recreational activities, and just plain caring. Steve and Paula Terrano and Bob LaChance are the leaders of OGsBAD and worked closely with us in developing the project.
Nelson Henderson, an author, once said: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” Both selfless giving and plants played a major role in our project.
OGsBAD had purchased the entire lot surrounding its building. It was a city block of mostly sand, dirt, and rocks. OGsBAD vision, and our goal for Break Through, was to transform that empty lot into a place where OGsBAD students, the neighborhood, and the community could come together.
We spent several months of intense planning, mapping, and fundraising for the project. And in the end, we exceeded our goals. Nearly seventy students from at least eight different area high schools and some of the students from OGsBAD participated in the two-day event.
Together with the kids from OGsBAD, we created a 300 foot pathway across the property complete with trees, bushes, rock and bark. We put in a sand volleyball court, built benches for the path and courts, removed some walls in the building for further renovation, and painted a giant mural on an interior wall.
Break Through was not just hard labor though. On the night between the two days of, we were hosted by the neighborhood for an authentic Mexican dinner and learned how to dance the salsa. But, the student volunteers agreed that probably the most important part of Break Through was the learning component. After the first day, three young people who attend OGsBAD told us about their experiences with gangs, their struggles to achieve a better life, and the positive impact of OGsBAD programs.
The Break Through project was a very successful combination of community service, learning, and fun. With the projects we completed, OGsBAD is already taking shape as a real community spot. Student volunteers said that they really enjoyed the project, that it ended way too soon, and that they can’t wait for next year’s project.
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