Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 48.10
Liaison Jen Jones
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

College of Charleston
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Jen Jones
Director
Center for Sustainable Development
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:
The mission of Alternative Break is to empower students to progress from members of their community to active citizens through social issues-focused education, direct service and reflection. With education, direct service and critical reflection, the university's Center for Civic Engagement seeks to provide students with dynamic experiential learning opportunities that allow them to explore the world of active citizenship during traditional school breaks.

The Alternative Break program embodies these core values and provides students with avenues of self-discovery and social awareness through service immersion, group development, travel and cultural exchange. The program is affiliated with Break Away, a national nonprofit organization that provides a curriculum and network for more than 100 affiliate schools.

Alternative Break hosts approximately 10-14 domestic and international service immersion trips each year and engages more than 100 students in direct service and international reflection. From exploring cultural preservation through drum circles of the Quileute Tribe in La Push, Washington to building sustainable and affordable housing in Charlotte, North Carolina, Alternative Break students embrace experiences that broaden the scope of their educational experience and awareness of social responsibility.

The Center for Civic Engagement partners with the Center for Sustainable Development's team to assess annual Alternative Breaks by applying a sustainability rubric to student journals completed while on the break. Many of these journal questions relate to the Triple Bottom Line.

Website URL where information about the institution’s immersive education programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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