Take a TRIP with Alt Breaks: Trip Outline!

No big vacation plans for the summer? No worries! Lets pack up our minds with helpful tips to prepare us for our travels on a very important trip...the Trip Outline!

While the destination you had in mind may have looked like this....

the Trip Outline has a beauty all of its own!


Your Trip Outlines are coming along very well. We've got some great Alternative Break advendures ahead to look forward to! I just wanted to take a minute to touch on a few key aspects: housing logistics, schedule at a glance, and goal setting.

Housing Logistics

You have done the most important part of the housing section by filing in your location and info. Now don't forget the other critical part of the housing section. The distance to the nearest hospital and location of a nearby place to buy supplies (typically WalMart) being complete will make us happy as a trumpeting elephant with a ribbon baton.

Schedule at a Glance

This is a way for the 'trip timeline' section of your outline to become more visual. Many of you have already made a great start on this! Gold star:) If you complete the Schedule at a Glance chart completely, you shouldn't need to reiterate it on your Trip Outline's Trip Timeline, minute by minute guide section.

You each have something shared to your Google breaks account that looks something like this. 

It is completely yours to edit and update, so feel free to make any and all changes to make your trip run more smoothly. Remember-- once it is on this Schedule at a Glance, that means it is completely confirmed and good to go.

Goal Setting

You have seen the 'Goals for the Trip' section on the trip outline, but what are we really looking for? How do you make a goal? Like this...

ooooor for the less athletic and with more break trip relevance...the SMART Goals model. There are five spaces for you to list goals for your trip. Think about what you really want everyone involved to get out of the trip, any key takeaway points, or how you will determine success within the scope of your trip. SMART goals are

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Specific

A goal is specific when it provides a description of what is to be accomplished. A specific goal is a focused goal. It will state exactly what the organization intends to accomplish.

Measurable

A goal is measurable if it is quantifiable. Measurement is accomplished by first obtaining or establishing base-line data. It will also have a target toward which progress can be measured, as well as benchmarks to measure progress along the way.

Attainable

There should be a realistic chance that a goal can be accomplished. This does not mean or imply that goals should be easy. On the contrary, a goal should be challenging. An attainable goal should also allow for flexibility.

Relevant

Goals should be appropriate to and consistent with the mission and vision of the organization. Each goal adopted by the organization should be one that moves the organization toward the achievement of its vision.

Time-bound

Finally a goal must be bound by time. That is, it must have a starting and ending point. It should also have some intermediate points at which progress can be assessed.

You can use this model to help shape meaningful goals. These can be as simple as 'we want to make sure we don't lose anyone' or as thoughtful as 'we want to return to Knoxville with the ability to view and serve our community through the lens of our trip theme', etc. Happy goal setting!

ABL Spotlight!

Introducing the newest feature of Mondays with MaryAnn, the ABL spotlight. We can get to know more about the members of our ABL family through this nifty segment. Meet this week's featured break trip leader...Matt Klein! Who knows, you could be next!

Year in school-  Junior

Major- Nutrition

Break Trip Experience- Fall 2013 Health and Wellness through the Lifespan trip to Charlotte, NC and Spring 2014 Children Living in Crime and Poverty trip to Chicago, IL.
If you could be one kitchen utensil, what would you be? A spatula...they are pretty cool
Three words that describe you- Passionate, fun, responsible

Dream job- Dean of Students at a large university
Favorite restaurant/dish in Knoxville- Downtown Grill and Brewery, get the Santa Fe Burger!
Spirit Animal- Domestic house cat

Don't Forget...

-Confirmed service sites are due today

-Web description due next Monday. Be thinking of a few brief sentences to describe your trip's theme and service. These will be added to our website to give potential participants a better idea of what they are in for.

-AFB trip leaders: Mark your calendars, we will begin our weekly meetings the day before classes start (Tues Aug 19th at UC 220, 3:30-5pm). Plan to meet each Tuesday from the 19th through your trips, same time and place. ASB leaders, your training will start late first semester, so be on the lookout for more details in the future.


-MPG-

Communication: It Makes the Break Trip World Go Round

Communication can be tricky. It is very possible for location, busy schedules or simply not being able to get our point across (see below:) to interfere with effective interactions.

There are plenty of ways that communication can go wrong, but here are a few ways to make sure it goes right! Successful communication with community partners and each other is the golden ticket to success. If Charlie could do it, so can we!

Community Partners

Contacting Sites

Get out your binder from April Training Day and dust off those cobwebs. Don't forget about these excellent resources, such as the Contacting Sites section. A few particularly helpful sections include...

• Common questions to ask service organizations
• A sample phone script
• Specifics about how to keep an effective phone log
• Random tidbits to help you succeed!

You'll notice the original Contacting Sites document is attached to the email that contained this blog link for your reference.

Each Other

Use your Google Drive

The Alt Break accounts you share with your co-trip leader aka partner in crime seem pretty standard...but don't overlook their greatness! The Google Drive you can both access is an incredible way to make sure you and your fellow trip leader are on the same page. Keep a running call/progress log going so at any time you know what the other is up to...it's like being psychic...how neato is that?

Touch Base

Talk to your fellow trip leader. Call each other up to decide if a service site fits with your theme, drop each other a text with news on a site confirmation, meet up at Starbucks to work on your trip outline, send a carrier pigeon, smoke signal....really anything...just make sure you are touching base.

Don't be this guy. He is definitely NOT touching base...

Roger? 10-4? Copy.

Sending an email to inquire about a service site? Copy your fellow trip leader. Sending an email to MaryAnn or Kate with a question that the answer will benefit both of you? Copy your fellow trip leader. Sending an email to basically anyone regarding your trip? Can't hurt to Cc: your buddy. It is easier to read an email quick than be out of the loop on the planning process. 

Over and out.


-MPG-