Other Research & Resources

Books

• Building a Better World: The Pedagogy and Practice of Global Service Learning by C. Boettcher, J. Friedrichs, E. Hartman, and R. Kiely (forthcoming). The book's website contains a global service-learning research wiki, a tools and syllabus wiki, web resources, and a blog with critical discussion. Also be sure to check out Eric Hartman's blog bost on the Good Intentions blog, Why Voluntourism IS the Best Option. Many of these practices and resources may be applied to domestic service learning trips.
• How to Travel Like an Anthropologist by Robert Gordon. This book will help students deepen their travel experiences. The book, which is meant to be read at home, aims to recover the practice of engaged traveling.
• The Student Handbook for Global Engagement by Students at the Center for Global Health, University of Michigan. This handbook offers a roadmap for planning projects abroad, with advice on multiple levels — from the logistics of paying for your trip and staying safe, to broader issues such as ethics and sustainability. Licensed under a creative commons license. 

• Learning through Serving: A Student Guidebook for Service-Learning Across the Disciplines by Christine M. Cress, Peter J. Collier, Vicki L. Reitenauer, and Associates. Each AmeriCorps member at ORCC receives this book at the September training.

Websites

• Volunteers for Peace is a nonprofit organization that organizes international volunteer opportunities.
• International Volunteer Programs Association is an association of NGOs involved in international volunteer work and internship exchanges.
• Building Bridges Coalition is a consortium of organizations promoting international volunteering.
• Hands on Network is the largest network of local volunteer centers around the world. There are 250 Volunteer Action Centers in the United States and around the world.

Program Models from Other States

• Standford University's Alternative Spring Break program requires students to take a 1-unit winter quarter course to prepare students for the alternative spring break.
• The Cal Corps Public Service Center at UC Berkeley organizes alternative spring break trips in conjunction with service-learning courses.
• University of Michigan's Gingsberg Center supports alternative spring break trips that are led by student organizations. The center uses Break Away's "Active Citizens Continuum" model. 
• The Pipeline Project at University of Washington utilizes an alternative spring break model to address college access in rural and native communities in Washington.
• Branch Out alternative spring breaks at the College of William and Mary offer reorientation grants to help students further their service-learning after the trip.
  
• American University's Alternative Breaks are student led. The Center of Community and Civic Engagement provides resources for student leaders, including a student guide. 
• University of Maryland sends graduate students on alternative break trips as staff advisors.
• Alternative Breaks @ UCSD helps students develop leadership skills before the trips. Each student leader participates in two hours of leadership training for at least two quarters before the alternative break trip.
• The Student Conservation Association (SCA) hosts alternative break trips in California and Florida. Students blog about their experiences on the SCA's website.

Reading Material for Students
The following are student reading assignments recommended to ORCC.

• To Hell with Good Intentions by Ivan Illich
• Soul of a Citizen and The Impossible Will Take a Little While by Paul Loeb
• The Way of the Traveler: Making Every Trip a Journey of Self-Discovery by Joseph Dispenza