Trip Leading

I could probably write a short book about this experience, but I’ll spare you all in this post. This was a challenging but fantastic week for me. As trip leader this year, I viewed this week much differently than last year as a participant. There is so much behind the scenes preparation, planning, and scheduling; even executing those plans was challenging. Shout out to Elizabeth Wyman and Rebecca Turney because now I understand how hard and tiring it is to prepare and lead this trip! Thank you again for all your hard work last year. I was blessed to have two advisors/drivers who were more than helpful, and 9 amazing participants. Each one of them is so unique and gifted; it was a pleasure getting to know them and see them develop their skills in active citizenship.

Service

We worked with two nonprofits on this trip. Our first three days were spent working with Green Light New Orleans in Uptown, and Friday was spent with Sustain the Nine in the Lower Ninth Ward. Even as trip leader, I wasn’t sure what to expect from our service partners, so flexibility was definitely something I had to prepare myself for while planning this trip. Along with flexibility, leadership also includes serving. Each of my participants acted as a leader at some point when they took on an active role of serving and being empathetic. Some of my participants pleasantly surprised me with plans to take the knowledge they gained from Green Light on rain barrels back to Springfield and apply it in our own community. That’s a good example of active citizenship!

Cultivating Culture

We visited educational sites, including the Holy Cross Global Green Project Lower Ninth Ward, Louisiana State Museum, the levee in the lower ninth ward, and Burnell Lowerninthwardmarket. After 3 days of service with green light, we had our “free day” which we spent in the French quarter. I was so pleased at reflection to hear that everyone saw a huge difference between the “tourist New Orleans” and the “citizen New Orleans”. Most went on this trip envisioning New Orleans as the French Quarter, but when we arrived and started spending our days with actual citizens in their homes and local businesses, everyone came to see New Orleans for the cultural and diverse place it really is.

Wrapping Up

New Orleans is fantastic, not for the famous bars or parties that last all day, but for the community, the culture, and the hope. Leading this trip has taught me so much about service, sacrifice, and friendship. If you are considering leading a trip, I highly recommend joining the Bear Breaks team and their mission to change our communities.