Current Sites

Participant Selection for Winter Trips 2009 has already happened! If you still want to apply but missed the deadline email us at asb@u.northwestern.edu and we will place you on the wait list!

Winter 2009 Site Descriptions

Metro TeenAIDS - Washington D.C.
Metro TeenAIDS is the only community health organization in DC that deals with the specific needs of youth on the issue of HIV/AIDS. They offer many programs, including in-school and after-school programming, a drop-in center, free testing, street outreach, and four peer educator groups. Participants will learn about and participate in the work of Metro TeenAIDS and many of their partner organizations. They will visit, learn from, and volunteer with organizations across DC that do work around HIV prevention, risk reduction, positive living, youth, LGBTQ issues, hunger, and health.

WAGES - Goldsboro, NC
As a Community Action Agency, WAGES has been active in supporting programs for needy families in their community for 45 years. They provide numerous programs, including Head Start, First Steps, Self-Sufficiency, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, Weatherization, Nutrition Programs and Meals on Wheels. Participants will volunteer with these programs and assist WAGES in preparing for their holiday programs. They will have the opportunity to work directly with the children who benefit from the programs provided by WAGES.

AIDS Project LA - Los Angeles, CA
AIDS Project Los Angeles is dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy. They accomplish these goals by providing a variety of services in the LA community to people who are living with HIV/AIDS and people who are at risk of becoming infected. Participants on this trip will learn about and volunteer with some of these programs which include education outreach, food and affordable housing assistance, counseling and medical services, and much more.

Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta - Atlanta, GA
RRISA is a non-profit agency with a multi-lingual, multicultural staff that provides an entry into the American culture and continued services for hundreds of refugees each year. They come with only a few belongings and in debt for the price of their transportation from countries in Africa, the former Soviet Union, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Participants on this trip will have the opportunity to assist RRISA in many areas, including picking families up from the airport, assisting with after school programs, setting up homes for families and helping with ESL classes.

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation – Kendalia, TX
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation (WRR) rescues, rehabilitates, and releases orphaned, injured, and displaced wildlife and provides sanctuary with dignity for non-releasable animals, both native and non-native. Serving the cities of San Antonio and Austin, WRR provides permanent residence to over 600 animals and has rereleased countless others to the wild. Some examples of the animals WRR cares for are Bobcats who have been declawed and defanged, elderly macaque monkeys who have lived their entire lives in a small box in a research lab, Mountain Lions who were kept as pets, and farmed animals saved from the slaughterhouse. Students will build winter animal housing, prepare food for the wild animals, and make a real impact in their recovery and journey back to the wild.

Escuela La Joya - Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic
Escuela La Joya is an elementary school in the Midwest region of the Dominican Republic serving just over 100 children. Despite living in one of the most ecologically rich regions in the world, the children currently receive hardly any education about the environment around them. Volunteers will work directly with the children to foster ecological awareness in the school by implementing an environmental education course into their curriculum through arts and crafts, community outreach, and various other activities. Potential projects include teaching about the natural resources in Jarabacoa, cleaning up trash with children in the community, implementing composting, and creating a school garden.

Appalachia Service Project - Jonesville, VA
Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a non-profit based out of Tennessee whose vision is to eradicate substandard housing in Central Appalachia and equip and inspire lives of service. ASP works year round to build homes for and relationships with impoverished families, in 27 communities throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Students will work on jobs ranging from laying shingles to building handicapped ramps and replacing linoleum. More importantly, they will have ample time to work and bond with the families that will one day live in the homes on which they are working.

Lower Nine - New Orleans, LA
lowernine.org is a grassroots non-profit organization working to rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The Lower Ninth Ward was one of the hardest hit and most devastated areas as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and it is still struggling to recover. lowernine.org teaches home rebuilding skills to volunteers and residents, facilitates access to social services, and is dedicated to making the community stronger than ever before. Students will learn about the unique issues affecting New Orleans and the gulf coast, as well as work alongside residents to rebuild homes and resurrect a century old neighborhood.