What is the Role of Student Leaders?
Student Leaders work closely with the Center for Community Engagement staff to run our UMW Alternative Service Break programs and ensure that all experiences fulfill our mission. Staff help train and advise student trip leaders and support trip leaders as they develop trip itineraries, budgets, and promote the program.
Trips always include a UMW staff or faculty member who acts as a chaperone and manages finances.
Leadership Opportunities
Trip Leaders
ASB trip leaders plan and lead each alternative break trip. This role comes with varied and exciting responsibilities including recruiting participants, planning itineraries, holding weekly meetings leading up to the trip, assisting in fundraising, and facilitating reflection. Beyond these core duties, leaders may also find themselves creating travel playlists, shopping for large tubs of peanut butter, and driving University vans to the worksite. There is a lot to do, and we need your help! Because of the many responsibilities leaders have, we prefer students who have been on at least one ASB trip for this position.
Fundraising Chair
Being a Fundraising Chair is an important job! A big part of the ASB experience is working together to fundraise money. This is often done through donation requests, tabling in the CRUC, or hosting an event. There is a lot of money needed for these trips as our budget is made up solely of student payments and fundraising. The great thing about this position is that you do not have to go on a trip to serve as the Fundraising Chair.
Social Media Manager
Our main method of communication with the UMW community is our Instagram and Facebook page. In this position you will work to create content for our page. This includes advertising fundraisers and creating reels to commemorate trips or big events among other things. The Social Media Manager also updates our socials during the trip that they go on so people can see how the trip is going.
Students that serve in the above leadership positions receive a discount on trip registration.
Passive Leadership
Be a Driver
On each trip, the staff person and students drive UMW vans to travel to their ASB location. University policy requires that student drivers don’t drive more than 3 hours at a time. Because of this, we aim to have at least three to four drivers on each trip so they can alternate and rest. Students must undergo and pass the Van Familiarization course to drive UMW vehicles. Eligibility requirements and more details can be found on the Van Familiarization course page. Being a driver is a great way to help the team if you don’t have time to take a formal leadership position.