'We take courses, and study poverty, and know that there are people in this world who are in great need of better education, housing, food supplies. However, working with Habitat showed me that there is more to life than books. Studying is a means to gain the skills that will allow us to serve our community better.'
~ ASB 2006

Check out what past Alternative Spring Break Participants
have to say about their service learning experience.

2011

'Simply life changing. I know that my life will not be complete unless I return to Costa Rica as a physician, then I can facilitate change.'
~ ASB 2011

'Eye-opening & behavior-changing. This experience was absolutely phenomenal and will stay with me forever.'
~ ASB 2011

'ASB made me realize what I want to do in life. I didn't think the experience would have such a strong effect on me, but I have thought a lot about community and how I can help people since coming home.'
~ ASB 2011

2010

'For a while now, I've felt as though I had a heaping pile of twigs & grass in front of me, but no spark to ignite a flame. All I needed was one match for that fire to begin to burn, and ASB gave me a blow torch. Because of the ASB experience, my passion and motivation to act is lit, and I can use the resources that I've been building up all these years to BE THE CHANGE.'
~ ASB 2010

'ASB changes lives. It takes the pictures, statistics and facts from a textbook and brings them to life. It also takes you beyond that to a point where you realize how there is so much more to the world then what we know and are taught. It is so important to get out there and experience something new. ASB bursts the Western Bubble!'
~ ASB 2010

'I don't really have the words to describe ASB. It immerses you in a different world, it challenges you in the most meaningful ways, and it can inspire and direct you for the rest of your life into living a life of meaning and fulfillment. More people should get a chance to experience this.'
~ ASB 2010

'If I was to fully describe the details of my experience, it would take me another week. If I was to tell you what I obtained from it and all of the feelings running in me during my experience, it would take me even longer. But one thing I can ensure anyone who has ever wondered about the ASB program is, you have to truly want to learn more about the people around you who you might have gone unnoticed before, and have a desire to do something for them in order to fully understand who you are and where you are standing in this world. This is the only way you can take something from this program.'
~ ASB 2010

2009

'I am thrilled that I stayed in London for my experience as I am continuing to go back to volunteer and therefore I know that I will make a bigger difference. The experience opened my eyes to some of the things that people are going through less than 10 minutes away from campus.'
~ ASB 2009

'A week ago, 20 Western students were unknowingly walking past each other in the UCC, but in a few days we built a union, provided resources for the future of a school, and cultivated friendships and experiences that will be with us long after graduation.'
~ ASB 2009

'I found something in me that I didn't know was there; it was the confidence to use the gifts I have been blessed with to create positive change for others. ASB was an eye-opening experience, but more than that it was a behaviour-changing experience.'
~ ASB 2009

'ASB was a stepping stone for me - a really big stepping stone - full of incredible individuals that I didn't realize I'd been sharing a campus with all this time. There are 52 weeks in a year but ASB helped me make sense of the other 51.'
~ ASB 2009

'A whole other level of the university experience is brought about by this trip. You learn why you go to university and study. You learn about people and the amazing connection that you can make with them, regardless of all barriers. You learn that there is a world out there bigger than yourself.'
~ ASB 2009

'I truly learned the value of 'serving,' and realized it is all about sharing (our ideas, values, insights, perspectives) to incorporate everyone's needs and ultimately establish equity.'
~ ASB 2009

'ASB taught me, no matter how big or how small an impact we think we are having, by reaching out to another human being - in a humane and caring manner - we can change our lives as well as theirs.'
~ ASB 2009

'I am no longer lost. I am on the right road to my future.'
~ ASB 2009

2008

'I am in the Health Sciences program at Western and (the Costa Rica experience) showed me some of the demographic and health care issues that are discussed in class, but I could never imagine. ASB provided a hands-on application of what I have learned in class, and added many factors that will influence my future career choice.'
~ ASB 2008

'This made me look at the big picture. Being in science and studying things at the molecular level over the last few years had made me forget the overall reasons for scientific research - to help people.'
~ ASB 2008

'We actually got to see some textbook concepts come to life. It made some of our course material seem so much more relevant and applicable.'
~ ASB 2008

'As a Political Science student I was given the opportunity to experience first-hand political and social conditions that I had read about and studied. It helped to provide a deeper understanding and perspective.'
~ ASB 2008

'This was by far the best thing I have ever done, and I know that I will be going back (to the Dominican Republic) - hopefully for a long internship!'
~ ASB 2008

2007

'What a week! I have never worked on such a worthwhile project in my life, and I'm proud of what my team accomplished - in terms of construction, friendships, and reflections. I can't wait to do it again next year!'
~ ASB 2007

'It is an amazing experience that nobody should give up the chance to participate in. It is life-changing. It is about being aware, not just of other people, but also of yourself.'
~ ASB 2007

'I think part of why my experience was so valuable was because I was able to share it with others that have the same values and priorities as myself. Although our team was extremely diverse and different, we all share the same passion to make a difference.'
~ ASB 2007

'I cannot stop thinking about, talking about, feeling emotions about, writing about, or reminiscing about this experience.'
~ ASB 2007

'ASB helped me understand the power of individuals, and how volunteer organizations really depend on one person at a time to carry out the valuable work that they do.'
~ ASB 2007

'My personal experience (with ASB) surpassed all of my expectations in a number of ways. Everything was so organized and well-planned that getting the most out of it took little to no effort at all! I have only the fondest memories looking back.'
~ ASB 2007

'I am now more appreciative of the things I have been blessed with and am also more aware of the types of issues that contribute to worldwide social injustice.'
~ ASB 2007

'This trip has impacted me in a way that no other 1-week experience has. I met 25 great people who I learned a lot from. I feel inspired to do what I can, in every little and big way, to make the world a nicer place for everyone in it.'
~ ASB 2007

2006

'We take courses, and study poverty, and know that there are people in this world who are in great need of better education, housing, food supplies. However, working with Habitat showed me that there is more to life than books. Studying is a means to gain the skills that will allow us to serve our community better.'
~ ASB 2006

'When I look back on my first year of university, most other experiences will pale in comparison to the change this has caused in the person I am, and the amazing impression it has left on me about what I am capable of... and what the rest of the world holds for me.'
~ ASB 2006

I am more sure than ever before that whatever future career I choose, it has to involve helping people and making an important difference in their lives. This trip has made me more focused on my goal of becoming a doctor, and provided great motivation to keep studying hard. Learning at Western has mostly been in academic areas, but this trip has helped me learn more about myself, and the world.
~ ASB 2005

'You come back with a whole new perspective on life and you carry it with you in everything you do.'
~ ASB 2005

'I had the opportunity to be a trip leader for 40 phenomenal students from this university. Seeing them learn and interact with each other in a setting that most have only seen in movies truly highlighted the passion, drive and emotion that prompted them to sign up for the experience in the first place. I was able to interact with students in a way unlike any other,and in a place unlike any other.'
~ Blake Fleischacker
Residence Manager
Housing & Ancillary Services

Get Involved - Faculty and Staff

'This was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life! The students were focused, enthusiastic and dedicated. They participated actively in a cause that continues to be both personally rewarding and selfless. As one of the adult leaders, I also appreciated the reflective nature of the program, the detailed organization at the university level and the spontaneous group energy that evolved. Above all, it was fun! Service learning is now part of my life!'
~ Jim Rule
Faculty of Education


'The ASB experience was rewarding in many ways. It gave me a chance to meet students from other faculties. I was able to see a side of students that can't be seen in lecture format classes. I learned a lot about service learning and how it can deepen the student experience; the reflection component was particularly valuable: I could see very clearly how the students were affected by what they saw and heard.'
~ John Braun
Department of Statistics
and Actuarial Sciences


'I had the opportunity to be a trip leader for 40 phenomenal students from this university. Seeing them learn and interact with each other in a setting that most have only seen in movies truly highlighted the passion, drive and emotion that prompted them to sign up for the experience in the first place. I was able to interact with students in a way unlike any other,and in a place unlike any other.'
~ Blake Fleischacker
Residence Manager
Housing & Ancillary Services


'Serving as a faculty leader for the 2009 Alternative Spring Break in Guatemala was a wonderful experience for me as a university teacher, an opportunity to witness first hand the dedication of Western students to the good of the community, and to develop skills as a facilitator of transformational learning that I will be able to take back to the classroom.'
~ Jeff Tennant
Department of French Studies


'I've talked about my ASB experience and the importance of service learning in class at least seven or eight times since coming home. I find that even students who've never considered this sort of thing are intrigued by it, and that they respond enthusiastically to the idea that what we do in the classroom matters precisely because it equips us to serve and learn in the larger world.'
~ 2011 Team Leader