Why Lead a Service Trip?
Becoming a Service Trip Leader is a great way to gain experience leading a group, work with a peer and a faculty or staff member, and build your resume! Service Trip Leaders create powerful learning and service travel experiences for their fellow students, and have fun doing it, too. Becoming a Service Trip Leader is a great opportunity for anyone looking to build their leadership and facilitation skills, refine an interest in a social issue or community development, learn about organizing group travel (and risk management/safety), or practice working in teams.
Who’s Who on a Service Trip?
Trip Participants are students attending the service trip. Service Trips are open to all Dickinson students regardless of class year, major, or other status. Service Trip Participant students must be responsible—ethically, morally and physically— when preparing for and participating in a Service Trip. They must be willing to work with their trip leaders and Learning Partner.
Trip Leaders are student leaders who make Service Trips possible. They are responsible for organizing trip itineraries with support from the CCLA staff, planning group activities for the full Service Trip experience with their Learning Partner, serving as group facilitators, and providing on-site leadership during the Trip experience.
Learning Partners are Dickinson faculty or staff members who support the learning experience during a Service Trip. Learning Partners participate in all group activities and serve as the point of contact for campus during trips. Learning Partners serve as mentors to Trip Leaders and participants, and assist in drawing connections between the service experience, cultural explorations, and students’ academic experiences. Learning Partners also provide support around health and safety issues on trips. Training is provided.
CCLA Staff: Service Trip Coordinators & the Director of Community Engagement are members of the CCLA team who create the Service Trip experiences. The Service Trip Coordinators are members of the CCLA student staff who work together with the Director of Community Engagement (Laura Megivern) to identify host communities and community partner organizations for the trips each year. They provide support for the trips and their leaders, especially prior to the trips. Laura is also the primary contact for financial aid and payments as well as any required paperwork for participants.
Community Partners & Host Sites: Community Partners and Host Sites are the organizations that host Service Trips in their local communities. These organizations may include nonprofit or government organizations filling community needs who host us as volunteers, as well as organizations that provide housing. Some trips may have a single host site for housing and service projects; others may have multiple partner organizations. CCLA strives to create long-term, sustainable, and mutually beneficial partnerships with these organizations, so that we may assist with ongoing community defined needs, learn about the community and its history, and engage in meaningful and ethical relationships.
What Skills Will I Develop as a Service Trip Leader?
Service Trip Leader training includes:
- Leadership development
- Facilitation
- Reflection and pedagogy
- Communication & conflict management
- Group development & teamwork
- Risk management and safety
- Program design & organization
Trip Leader Requirements
To serve as a Service Trip Leader, applicants must: commit to participating in all leader meetings and training; be in good standing with the college; commit to participating in all pre-trip group meetings and working with your trip administrator to design appropriate pre-trip and on-trip group discussions and enrichment; work with CCLA staff to manage all needed paperwork and administrative requirements (e.g., following up with participants to have them complete medical forms); and support the Service Trips program’s overall ethic and philosophy as well as CCLA’s Core Values.
Application Process and Timeline
To become a Service Trip Leader, you will complete an application (online, due Sunday, September 17, 2023). In your application, you will be able to share your interest in each of the Service Trip topics as well as your availability to lead trips throughout the year. Note that Service Trip Leaders must be in good standing academically and socially with the college. Academic and social conduct records will be reviewed for all participants as part of the selection process.
Once selected, all Service Trip Leaders will participate in leader training – in the form of weekly leader meetings from mid-September to April, and in a two-part retreat including 12-4 p.m. Sunday, September 3, 2023 and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, October 28, 2023. During leader training, you will have the opportunity to get to know your co-leaders, develop the skills to lead a trip, plan the group meetings you will facilitate, and work with your trip learning partner.
Any questions about the application process or training can be directed to Laura Megivern, Director of Community Engagement.