“grassroots: The Fundamentals” spring break service trip applications are now open.

Trip Description
From Rosa Parks to Bill McKibben, civil disobedience to divestment, those pushing for social change take radically different paths to enact change. Out of these paths have emerged an ever-growing and diversifying advocate’s toolbox. No matter the cause, the tools used to spur change are often borrowed from – or forged in – other social movements. Through a series of presentations, workshops, films, guest speakers and a Break Trip, participants in “grassroots: The Fundamentals” will review various contemporary social movements and the strategies that have been employed. Students will explore how identity and privilege can be a barrier to working with the people they seek to help, while simultaneously learning to leverage these differences to benefit all. Topics covered will include: tradeoffs between organizational scales, what it means to be radical or moderate, campaign theory, strategy and tactics. Students who participate in the spring break trip will apply these lessons, working with communities in Virginia and West Virginia to help fight mountaintop removal.

Information about applying to participate in “grassroots: The Fundamentals” spring break trip is available here.

Students who participate in “grassroots: The Fundamentals” are required to attend a series of workshops in the spring semester. Dates for the workshops are available on the application.

Applications for other spring break trips are available in January 2015.

Contact Missy Harris or Jasmine Woo if you have any questions.