10 Tips for Meaningful Reflection on Alternative Breaks

By Shoshanna Sumka, Jill Piacitelli and Melody Porter 

Late afternoon, in a public park in Vietnam, a small group of students from Vermont gathered at the end of a long day spent surveying households impacted by the accidental explosions of long forgotten landmines. Deeply affected by a social issue they had never personally experienced in the US (but one tied to their identities through history, family members and government policy), the shaken team sat to talk. This reflection activity was planned to transform the post-war complexities they’d seen that day in direct service work, such as a troubling lack of “clean up” and high risk behaviors connected to poverty, into discussion of continued future involvement. This scene is repeated thousands of times each year on alternative breaks, with students leading their peers through these critical conversations.

This daily occurrence on a week-long immersion service experience is intended to help those who volunteer process what they’ve been exposed to and insights they have gained in a way that transcends the trip. Highlighted here are ten tips to make this crucial piece of an alternative break most effective. 

#1 Invest in meaningful issue-specific education prior to the trip

Reflections are as strong as the background and understanding participants bring to the conversation. Without the anchor of an educational framework and the shared language and experience created in pre-trip group meetings, reflection often drifts into the less-effective terrain of working out reactive emotions to the day’s work, the partner organization, or the group and leadership dynamics. Catalytic reflections are activities drawing from this shared foundation, and allowing for processing the day’s events and emotions yet centered on setting up actions to be met through direct service. Pre-trip education can be guest speakers, article discussions, documentaries - helping to also build group cohesion. 

#2 Plan ahead 

Good reflection opportunities are organized. Before leaving campus, plan reflections based on the itinerary. Knowing the activities for each day, leaders can create outlines and plan goals for reflection which will elicit meaningful conversation based on the pre-trip educational foundation. A selected reading or a quote may be prepared to start out the session or a start with individual time for journaling or a drawing exercise. Whatever activities are planned, be sure to bring the supplies needed: quotes, yarn, markers, paper, candles, and journals. Additionally ensure there is proper designated space in the schedule for reflections and understanding that all participants share the expectation of daily reflection. 

#3 Set ground rules 

Reflection requires respect for others and vulnerability. Before the trip, set communication guidelines so that people are prepared to be open and talk honestly. These ground rules can be about confidentiality, respect, using “I” statements, and ways to involve everyone and ensure full participation. One technique is to go around the circle having each person say one word that describes their day or have a “speak up, speak back” rule where people who are talking a lot wait for three other people to go before they can and those on the quiet side challenge themselves to speak. Allow for quiet moments and thoughtful silences. 

#4 Create boundaries 

Reflection can be draining. In addition to ground rules, pre-established boundaries by leaders allow for the emotional focus and mental energy needed for high quality reflection. Structured reflection activity with a time limit demands intensity and engagement that perhaps an open ended and lightly facilitated conversation does not. Similarly, the physical space chosen for the reflection is crucial. Ideally, the space is set apart from other activities (one which can be entered into/exited, as opposed to reflecting on the van ride), encouraging of accessibility (eye contact and easy to hear), and without distraction (phone-free, away from foot traffic, and not planned against another deadline like dinner or departure). 

#5 Build structure 

One way to structure the conversation and help participants focus is to move through the questions of “What”, “So What”, and “Now What” (Borton, 1970). In the “What” phase, participants describe what happened during the day. They might discuss an interaction, one sensory experience, or draw a visual impression from the day. In the “So What” phase, participants begin to make meaning of their experience. Does what we did today matter? Does it connect to what we learned before the trip? This phase will often be best addressed through small and large group discussion, allowing for critical dialogue. In the “Now What” phase, the team connects their experience to future action. This includes steps to improve their effectiveness on the trip or plans for continued action back on campus. This key piece of a successful alternative break facilitates the crucial shift for participants. They go from a learning orientation - curious about issues, to an active citizen stance: knowing how to take effective action, developing a group of support and accountability, and prioritizing the community in decisions throughout their lives. 

#6 Train one or more group leaders in facilitation 

Without skilled facilitation, reflection sessions can devolve into debates or superficial “feel-good” commentaries. Student leaders should be trained on what to do when no one talks, a participant dominates conversation, someone raises a controversial point, or the group faces emotional releases like anger or sadness. Reflection works best when co-facilitated by the two trained site leaders of the trip, to allow for them to complement each other. Everyone on the trip should be an active participant, contributing not just by sharing their thoughts, but also their challenging questions. This will allow the group to develop a learning community with shared responsibility for creating knowledge together. As the trip progresses, some participants will be ready to take over the facilitation reins and can be trained by site leaders in the “What”, “So What”, and “Now What” model and reflection planning. 

#7 Involve community members 

The community is the reason for the trip in the first place, and community members can help trip participants reflect on their engagement. Leaders may want to plan at least one reflection session that allows the community partner and other community members to join. These conversations invite the team to look at their effectiveness with the community partner, hear feedback, and ask questions in a safe space that otherwise may not be asked (possibly turning into stereotypes or assumptions). In addition, community partners can benefit from learning about the experience and ideas of the participants. Of course, there should be reflection sessions without community members, which capitalize on a common language and group trust already built and a common language to work out thoughts and emotions uncensored.

#8 Vary reflection techniques throughout the break 

People process differently - running, on the phone with their family, or creating art. Those who process in different ways will benefit by groups being split into pairs for more intimate discussion, journaling before coming together for conversation, and being time for exercise and relaxation. Participants can write poetry, draw or have a one-on-one conversation during the day with a community member. During the trip, the focus of reflection should shift - encouraging participants to deepen in their learning. At first, conversations may center on the descriptive (“What”) phase, but as the week goes on, more time is spent on the interpretive “So What”, and ultimately the “Now What” questions. This progression helps the group begin to integrate their experience into their lives post-trip. #9. Have a clear closing Highly effective reflection sessions take about an hour, and it is imperative to plan a clear closing instead of a random or diffused ending. Included in the art of facilitation is knowing how to end gracefully. An intentional closing could be each participant articulating one new thing they learned in the reflection or sharing final words. The “What”, “So What”, and “Now What” model lends itself nicely to closing on the topic of “Now What” Questions like “What here brings to mind our own community?” can encourage the group plan for and anticipate integrating learning from the trip back on campus. 

#10 Keep reorientation in mind as a guiding principle for reflection

Reorientation springs from the idea that the combination of strong education, direct service experiences, and thoughtful reflection should, by degrees, disorient participants - dislodging them from apathy, stereotypes and lags in understanding or empathy. Once this occurs, intentional reflection begins to shape the active citizen - a person for whom community becomes a priority in their values and life choices. Reflections culminate in reorientation: the informed effort to change individual behaviors connected to the social issue and mobilize small groups to take action. Examples include forming clubs or philanthropy groups, consistent volunteering in a home community, hosting awareness-raising activities and advocating for local legislation or policy change.

Borton, T (1970), Reach, Touch and Teach. London, U.K.:Hutchinson. ISBN 0-07-006571-3. 

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Shoshanna Sumka is the Assistant Director for Global Learning and Leadership at American University; her primary responsibility is overseeing the Alternative Break program and other international immersion programs. In her eight years at AU, she has developed the program from the ground up, created a leadership training program, and increased participation by 300%. With her colleagues, she has developed a model for student involvement in community engagement that has been presented for use throughout the Office of Campus Life. As an international & experiential education professional, she has lived, traveled and/or worked in Kenya, Israel, Indonesia, Ecuador, Belize, Eastern Europe, Venezuela, Zambia and India. She directed the University of Idaho’s study abroad program in Ecuador for five years where she taught Service-Learning courses about indigenous groups in the Amazon rain forest, the Andes, and mangrove restoration in coastal regions. Shoshanna was named Break Away Staff Person of the Year in 2012. 

Melody Porter is the Associate Director of Community Engagement at the College of William and Mary. She has been in this position for more than four years, with supervision of the Alternative Breaks program and community partnership development as her central job responsibilities. Previously, she served as Director of Volunteer Emory at Emory University, where she developed an alternative fall break program. She served as a full-time volunteer for three years after college, in Philadelphia, PA and Johannesburg, South Africa. Melody was named Staff Person of the Year by Break Away in 2010, and her program at William and Mary received the Program of the Year award in 2011. 

Jill Piacitelli has been the Executive Director of Break Away since 2006, after having worked with volunteerism, service-learning, and alternative breaks on the campuses of the College of Eastern Utah and Johnson State College. 

All three are founding members of the Haiti Compact, a collaborative of university staff created to share best practices and resources for Alternative Break travel to Haiti. They have traveled extensively with students to work on issues of social justice around the world, and most recently both have traveled to Haiti independently with students to work on issues of health and women’s economic empowerment. Both Melody and Shoshanna serve on the Board of Directors of Break Away; Melody since 2012, Shoshanna since 2008.