About the Trip

The Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life is organizing an Alternative Spring Break trip to Chicago, Illinois, March 26-April 3, with a follow-up program on campus on April 6.  This service and learning trip was inspired by Middlebury College students from Chicago who were with us in Montgomery, Alabama last year, for a service/learning trip marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March.

We will meet with community leaders and organizations involved in the challenges facing Chicago around issues such as policing and incarceration, schools and education, housing, economic opportunity and inequity.

There will be an emphasis on exploring the arts as a mechanism for engagement, such as rap music, poetry, the plastic and performance arts, as they are used to address these issues and empower members of the community.

We will volunteer in  hands-on, community service projects where we hope to work directly with Chicago youth, and also help food distribution programs.