Indigenous Rights (formerly Cultural Issues)
What does ‘Indigenous’ mean?
It is the term given to the people that have historically belonged to a particular region or country, before its colonization or transformation and has unique cultural, linguistic, and traditional characteristics.
Indigenous People Have Often Had Many Rights Denied
Indigenous people have often found their lands and cultures overridden by more dominant societies. During the era of European colonial expansion and imperialism, it was common for Europeans to think of themselves as more superior than others.
Today, celebrations such as Columbus Day in the US raise bitter feelings for indigenous peoples. (Interestingly, Christopher Columbus never set foot in the United States, though that day is celebrated there.)
Native American Reservation Life
Poverty
Native Americans have the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and disease of any ethnic group in America. For a comparison, Native American couples earn $71 for every $100 for every $100 earned by all United States couples.
Food Availability
Many Native Americans identity themselves as “food insecure” meaning that it is uncertain that they will be able to acquire enough food for all living in their household.
Alcoholism
In some tribes, the rate of alcohol dependence is as high as 70 percent of the population.
The rate of alcoholism on reservations takes a toll on tribal communities. A cycle of poverty, unemployment and alcoholism plays out, contributing to further socio-cultural and economic decline on the reservation. The quality of life spirals downward due to alcohol-related health issues, including fetal alcohol syndrome.
Fetal alcohol syndrome may affect as many as two out of every thousand children born on some reservations, leaving them with a lifetime of developmental and neurological problems.
Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
-The average life expectancy on the reservation is 46, compared to the national average of 78 years.
-Teen suicide rate is 150 times higher than national average
-65% of the residents of the Reservation live in sub-standard conditions
-such as no electricity, running water, or heat
-many of the elderly die of hypothermia each year
-Due to a lack of sustainable jobs on the Reservation, unemployment is between 85-95%
-Infant mortality rate is 300% above the national average
-Diabetes is 800 times more prevalent than national average
Past non-profit agencies ASB has partnered with:
Tree of Life
[http://treeofliferelief.org/]
Disaster Relief
Every year, thousands of people are affected by flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and a variety of other natural disasters. When working with the issue of Disaster Relief, ASB participants are exposed to conditions that are rewarding yet challenging.
Whether it's hurricane relief in the Gulf Coast, or responding to any other immediate needs that there might be, Disaster Relief participants are often met with the resilience and optimism of those affected. At the same time, however, the sobering reality of despair and disaster is also apparent, and that dynamic is what makes Disaster Relief trips so unique.
There is nothing like helping a fellow citizen at a time when they are in so much need. ASB disaster relief trips offer a chance to alleviate, in one small way, the pain inherent in surviving a natural disaster.
HIV/AIDS
Stigma: The Sex, The Stamp, The Struggle
The stamp of HIV/AIDS scars the individual both psychologically and physically. The first name given to the disease was Gay Related Immune Deficiency, or GRID, best represents how the illness HIV/AIDS was perceived early on. This derogatory, degrading name intentionally singled out a socially deemed undesirable population. Physically, the most visible extension of the infection is Kaposi's sarcoma on face in the latter stages of AIDS. As the most public view of the body, the face is the extension of the body in Cartesian thought. This complication likens the disease to leprosy, publicly debilitating its victims. Further, as researchers and epidemiologists continue to describe AIDS as an epidemic it has stirred visions into the barbaric plagues, viewed by some as a moral judgment on society. The use of the word ‘plague’ brings to mind dark images, which categorize the Black Death and HIV/AIDS together. These examples exemplify how metaphors can distort the public’s view on illness, especially when dealing with the social issues that arise from HIV/AIDS.
Probably most importantly the dialogue must be left open to further harm reduction and prevention programs and to foster a whole-hearted understanding for AIDS. Over 15 years after AIDS was branded as GRID, or by some gay cancer, there are still many obstacles that face the destigmatization of AIDS.
Currently, there are over a million people in the United States living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). And while this means that roughly 1 in every 250 American is HIV positive, it is estimated that as many as half do not know they have it. Alternative Spring Break's HIV/AIDS-related service in the past has centered on both direct interaction with clients, and indirect service, such as preparing meals to be delivered to shut-ins and maintenance on residential facilities. Organizations that Alternative Spring Break has worked with in the past include Project Open Hand (http://www.openhand.org/), the Lansing-Area AIDS network (http://www.laanonline.org/) Project Lazarus (http://www.projectlazarus.net/), and Belle Reve (http://bellsouthpwp.net/b/e/bellereve/bellereve.htm)
Issue Resources:
Frontline: The Age of AIDS
4.26.2010 NYTimes: South Africa Redoubles Efforts Against AIDS
10.20.2009 NYTimes: AIDS Vaccine Trial Shows Only Slight Protection
Environment
The environment is part of everything we do, so it's no wonder why people around the world have made environmental stewardship a top priority. As a result, global initiatives and campaigns have been launched to address issues such as climate change, pollution, environmental degradation and resource depletion. Michigan State University has also contributed to these efforts by setting goals to reduce energy use by 15%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% and reduce landfill waste by 30% by 2015. In line with these efforts, Alternative Spring Break sends students on trips where they are able to dedicate time and effort to environmental organizations and performs tasks such as sampling water quality and building hiking trails. Organizations that Alternative Spring Break has worked with in the past include Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (http://www.hrwc.net/), Cumberland Trail Conference and James River State Park.
Disabilities
Disabled members of society are part of the largest minority group, averaging at about 650 million citizens globally. While the United States has worked hard to ensure fair treatment of these citizens with rulings such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), they are arguably still one of the least-supported groups in our society. Take a look around… could you be where you are sitting right now if you were confined to a wheelchair? Could you access the computer you are on right now if you had a developmental disability? Our world is set up to accommodate able-bodied individuals, and even with federal efforts to support our disabled citizens, there are many who still need our help. MSU’s Alternative Spring Break has proudly served alongside many organizations striving to fill this gap. Some of these organizations include Mountain Housing Opportunities (http://www.mountainhousing.org), and The Fowler Center For Outdoor Learning (http://thefowlercenter.org/).
Immigration
The term immigrant is used to describe anyone who leaves his or her country to settle permanently in another country. Its immigrants, in every way define the United States. From the time of the nation’s founding, the waves of immigration have brought changes to the population, industry and culture. While the “American Dream” is what brings many immigrants to the United States, it seems to have become something much more distant.
In the past decade, immigration has become a topic of heated discussion and debate. Although immigration is a part of our country’s history, the act has been redefined over time. In the last twenty years, the United States experienced another great wave of immigration, the largest since the 1920s. We see again anti-immigrant sentiments manifesting in different ways.
The reasons for emigrating vary from person to person, from family to family—each has a unique story to tell. Alternative Spring Break participants in the past have had the opportunity to learn the cultural, social, and legal implications of immigrating. On top of assisting immigrants and refugees in understanding their rights, filling out tax forms, translating, and finding day work, participants have the chance to get closer to the issues of immigration by hearing personal narratives. Participants are exposed to the trials and tribulations of moving to a foreign place.
The New York Times has an excellent set of interactive features that expose immigration issues:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html?hp
In the past, ASB has worked with CASA de Maryland, a community based organization created to assist immigrants and refugees, regardless of status, with living in the United States.
Education
Education is the most life changing experience. Education gives children the opportunity to creatively express themselves and begin to formulate their own opinions. Education allows students to become active and contributing members in our society, each choosing their own path and means of participating. However, in our society, we still face a huge numbers of dropouts, delinquencies, and other barriers that keep children from staying engaged in education.
Alternative Spring Break travels to areas where these risks are significantly higher. These areas are usually defined by low socioeconomic status, underprivileged youth, and struggling schools. You will be sure to have a mind awakening experience that exposes you to a variety of aspects of education. With your help, we hope to become part of a change that puts education first in the minds of society because of the importance it play in every child’s future.
In the past, Alternative Spring Breakers have spent their time working on the beautification of schools to improve education environments, working one on one with disabled citizens, and spreading smiles and love to children in areas such as Chicago Public Schools, Christina Rotary Club in Jamaica, and organizations like Operation Breakthrough.
Health
Topic: Health of Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan
U.S. soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are demonstrating high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol abuse, depression, and anger management issues. Consequently, this leads to the degradation of the physical health of veterans returning from active duty. Further, the experience of traumatic events can be directly correlated with unhealthy behaviors such as smoking.
Soldiers' reports of their general health were linked to their level of combat exposure, chemical exposure, drinking, smoking and experience of PTSD symptoms. Out of all of these symptoms, though, PTSD symptoms seemed to have the strongest connection; that is, the more severe a soldier's PTSD symptoms, the worse their general health was.
These findings are important as they show that our returning soldiers may face many challenges besides readjustment.
In the past ASB has partnered with the following non-profit agencies:
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
[http://www.archildrens.org/]
Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute
[http://www.rooseveltrehab.org/]
What does ‘Indigenous’ mean?
It is the term given to the people that have historically belonged to a particular region or country, before its colonization or transformation and has unique cultural, linguistic, and traditional characteristics.
Indigenous People Have Often Had Many Rights Denied
Indigenous people have often found their lands and cultures overridden by more dominant societies. During the era of European colonial expansion and imperialism, it was common for Europeans to think of themselves as more superior than others.
Today, celebrations such as Columbus Day in the US raise bitter feelings for indigenous peoples. (Interestingly, Christopher Columbus never set foot in the United States, though that day is celebrated there.)
Native American Reservation Life
Poverty
Native Americans have the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and disease of any ethnic group in America. For a comparison, Native American couples earn $71 for every $100 for every $100 earned by all United States couples.
Food Availability
Many Native Americans identity themselves as “food insecure” meaning that it is uncertain that they will be able to acquire enough food for all living in their household.
Alcoholism
In some tribes, the rate of alcohol dependence is as high as 70 percent of the population.
The rate of alcoholism on reservations takes a toll on tribal communities. A cycle of poverty, unemployment and alcoholism plays out, contributing to further socio-cultural and economic decline on the reservation. The quality of life spirals downward due to alcohol-related health issues, including fetal alcohol syndrome.
Fetal alcohol syndrome may affect as many as two out of every thousand children born on some reservations, leaving them with a lifetime of developmental and neurological problems.
Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
-The average life expectancy on the reservation is 46, compared to the national average of 78 years.
-Teen suicide rate is 150 times higher than national average
-65% of the residents of the Reservation live in sub-standard conditions
-such as no electricity, running water, or heat
-many of the elderly die of hypothermia each year
-Due to a lack of sustainable jobs on the Reservation, unemployment is between 85-95%
-Infant mortality rate is 300% above the national average
-Diabetes is 800 times more prevalent than national average
Past non-profit agencies ASB has partnered with:
Tree of Life
[http://treeofliferelief.org/]
Vanguard, Rape On the Reservation
One in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime. Correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, where the growing sexual assault epidemic has finally escalated to murder.
Disaster Relief
Every year, thousands of people are affected by flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and a variety of other natural disasters. When working with the issue of Disaster Relief, ASB participants are exposed to conditions that are rewarding yet challenging.
Whether it's hurricane relief in the Gulf Coast, or responding to any other immediate needs that there might be, Disaster Relief participants are often met with the resilience and optimism of those affected. At the same time, however, the sobering reality of despair and disaster is also apparent, and that dynamic is what makes Disaster Relief trips so unique.
There is nothing like helping a fellow citizen at a time when they are in so much need. ASB disaster relief trips offer a chance to alleviate, in one small way, the pain inherent in surviving a natural disaster.
HIV/AIDS
Stigma: The Sex, The Stamp, The Struggle
The stamp of HIV/AIDS scars the individual both psychologically and physically. The first name given to the disease was Gay Related Immune Deficiency, or GRID, best represents how the illness HIV/AIDS was perceived early on. This derogatory, degrading name intentionally singled out a socially deemed undesirable population. Physically, the most visible extension of the infection is Kaposi's sarcoma on face in the latter stages of AIDS. As the most public view of the body, the face is the extension of the body in Cartesian thought. This complication likens the disease to leprosy, publicly debilitating its victims. Further, as researchers and epidemiologists continue to describe AIDS as an epidemic it has stirred visions into the barbaric plagues, viewed by some as a moral judgment on society. The use of the word ‘plague’ brings to mind dark images, which categorize the Black Death and HIV/AIDS together. These examples exemplify how metaphors can distort the public’s view on illness, especially when dealing with the social issues that arise from HIV/AIDS.
Probably most importantly the dialogue must be left open to further harm reduction and prevention programs and to foster a whole-hearted understanding for AIDS. Over 15 years after AIDS was branded as GRID, or by some gay cancer, there are still many obstacles that face the destigmatization of AIDS.
Currently, there are over a million people in the United States living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). And while this means that roughly 1 in every 250 American is HIV positive, it is estimated that as many as half do not know they have it. Alternative Spring Break's HIV/AIDS-related service in the past has centered on both direct interaction with clients, and indirect service, such as preparing meals to be delivered to shut-ins and maintenance on residential facilities. Organizations that Alternative Spring Break has worked with in the past include Project Open Hand (http://www.openhand.org/), the Lansing-Area AIDS network (http://www.laanonline.org/) Project Lazarus (http://www.projectlazarus.net/), and Belle Reve (http://bellsouthpwp.net/b/e/bellereve/bellereve.htm)
Issue Resources:
Frontline: The Age of AIDS
4.26.2010 NYTimes: South Africa Redoubles Efforts Against AIDS
10.20.2009 NYTimes: AIDS Vaccine Trial Shows Only Slight Protection
Environment
The environment is part of everything we do, so it's no wonder why people around the world have made environmental stewardship a top priority. As a result, global initiatives and campaigns have been launched to address issues such as climate change, pollution, environmental degradation and resource depletion. Michigan State University has also contributed to these efforts by setting goals to reduce energy use by 15%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% and reduce landfill waste by 30% by 2015. In line with these efforts, Alternative Spring Break sends students on trips where they are able to dedicate time and effort to environmental organizations and performs tasks such as sampling water quality and building hiking trails. Organizations that Alternative Spring Break has worked with in the past include Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (http://www.hrwc.net/), Cumberland Trail Conference and James River State Park.
Disabilities
Disabled members of society are part of the largest minority group, averaging at about 650 million citizens globally. While the United States has worked hard to ensure fair treatment of these citizens with rulings such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), they are arguably still one of the least-supported groups in our society. Take a look around… could you be where you are sitting right now if you were confined to a wheelchair? Could you access the computer you are on right now if you had a developmental disability? Our world is set up to accommodate able-bodied individuals, and even with federal efforts to support our disabled citizens, there are many who still need our help. MSU’s Alternative Spring Break has proudly served alongside many organizations striving to fill this gap. Some of these organizations include Mountain Housing Opportunities (http://www.mountainhousing.org), and The Fowler Center For Outdoor Learning (http://thefowlercenter.org/).
Immigration
The term immigrant is used to describe anyone who leaves his or her country to settle permanently in another country. Its immigrants, in every way define the United States. From the time of the nation’s founding, the waves of immigration have brought changes to the population, industry and culture. While the “American Dream” is what brings many immigrants to the United States, it seems to have become something much more distant.
In the past decade, immigration has become a topic of heated discussion and debate. Although immigration is a part of our country’s history, the act has been redefined over time. In the last twenty years, the United States experienced another great wave of immigration, the largest since the 1920s. We see again anti-immigrant sentiments manifesting in different ways.
The reasons for emigrating vary from person to person, from family to family—each has a unique story to tell. Alternative Spring Break participants in the past have had the opportunity to learn the cultural, social, and legal implications of immigrating. On top of assisting immigrants and refugees in understanding their rights, filling out tax forms, translating, and finding day work, participants have the chance to get closer to the issues of immigration by hearing personal narratives. Participants are exposed to the trials and tribulations of moving to a foreign place.
The New York Times has an excellent set of interactive features that expose immigration issues:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/10/us/20090310-immigration-explorer.html?hp
In the past, ASB has worked with CASA de Maryland, a community based organization created to assist immigrants and refugees, regardless of status, with living in the United States.
Education
Education is the most life changing experience. Education gives children the opportunity to creatively express themselves and begin to formulate their own opinions. Education allows students to become active and contributing members in our society, each choosing their own path and means of participating. However, in our society, we still face a huge numbers of dropouts, delinquencies, and other barriers that keep children from staying engaged in education.
Alternative Spring Break travels to areas where these risks are significantly higher. These areas are usually defined by low socioeconomic status, underprivileged youth, and struggling schools. You will be sure to have a mind awakening experience that exposes you to a variety of aspects of education. With your help, we hope to become part of a change that puts education first in the minds of society because of the importance it play in every child’s future.
In the past, Alternative Spring Breakers have spent their time working on the beautification of schools to improve education environments, working one on one with disabled citizens, and spreading smiles and love to children in areas such as Chicago Public Schools, Christina Rotary Club in Jamaica, and organizations like Operation Breakthrough.
Health
Topic: Health of Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan
U.S. soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are demonstrating high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol abuse, depression, and anger management issues. Consequently, this leads to the degradation of the physical health of veterans returning from active duty. Further, the experience of traumatic events can be directly correlated with unhealthy behaviors such as smoking.
Soldiers' reports of their general health were linked to their level of combat exposure, chemical exposure, drinking, smoking and experience of PTSD symptoms. Out of all of these symptoms, though, PTSD symptoms seemed to have the strongest connection; that is, the more severe a soldier's PTSD symptoms, the worse their general health was.
These findings are important as they show that our returning soldiers may face many challenges besides readjustment.
In the past ASB has partnered with the following non-profit agencies:
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
[http://www.archildrens.org/]
Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute
[http://www.rooseveltrehab.org/]
