Conscious Alliance is pleased to announce that the Pine Ridge Service-Learning Trip will be returning in the Spring of 2014 partnering with Warren Wilson College, marking the 5th edition of the break trip.  Nasúla: Intercultural Service Learning Experience on the Pine Ridge Reservation, a program written by past Conscious Alliance intern Julia Lehr, is designed to provide a transformative educational program for students at Warren Wilson College. This includes a curriculum created to increase cultural consciousness as well as an experiential learning component on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.The focus is to build and sustain relationships that support the strengths and needs of the Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation while simultaneously providing an intercultural education experience for Warren Wilson College students.
Before arriving to Pine Ridge, participants engage in workshops designed to prepare students to be open to intercultural experiences while also providing historical and cultural knowledge of the Lakota people.  During past trips to Pine Ridge, Warren Wilson College students have participated in a variety of service projects aimed towards assisting community elders.  This has included the unloading, sorting, and distribution of 20,000 lbs of food, creating garden beds, trash and litter clean up, building fences, and creating banners for protests against keystone pipeline.
A key component of the service learning experience has been the concept of service through listening which allows students to learn from intercultural conversation and exchange. This was achieved through hearing the stories and cultural beliefs of the Lakota people, attending tribal council meetings, visiting the gravesite at Wounded Knee, and listening to Lakota elders describe their perspective on US history and worldview.  As we have seen, the outcomes of the experience are varied along dimensions of academic, personal, spiritual, and civic growth: some students have had spiritual awakenings, some discovered their vocational calling (as evidenced in changing majors, service commitments, or career goals), and some have discovered their leadership capabilities, while others uncover areas of their lives that need more attention.
As this trip has proven to be invaluable and meaningful for all involved, past participant Julia Lehr (Class of 15"), Danielle Landy (14"), Eva Westheimer (14"), and Stan Cross (WWC ELC Director) will be facilitating the service learning trip for Spring 2014 through the Warren Wilson College Service Learning Program.
For further questions, interest, and potential opportunities in supporting this project
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Donate to help fund the Spring 2014 trip
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For more insight on the trip, visit the blog written by students during the spring break 2013 experience on Pine Ridge:
http://pineridgeblog.wordpress.com/
