Impacts of Asheville
Last year I led a trip to Asheville, North Carolina focusing on Health and Wellness. We aimed to understand the impact the community has the on individuals health. Our group worked with three different organizations while we were there: Haywood Street Congregation, YMCA, and Asheville Greenworks.
Haywood Street served a congregate meal to individuals in the community. The table was open to anyone, and it promoted community. Our group was able sit and have conversation with local members of the community.
The YMCA of Western North Carolina had a mobile market they ran in communities with food scarcity. Some communities don’t have ready access to fresh fruit and vegetables, so it is important community partners bring these resources to people.
Asheville Greenworks is a community partner that focuses on sustainability and the impact the environment that has on the health of individuals living within the community.
Relationships in Asheville
The sense of community in Asheville is like no other I have experienced before. I was born and raised in Kansas City and was surrounded by a supportive community. The community of Asheville is different though. Asheville is a town of 80,000 people and fairly spread out, but the space and number of people does not stand in the way of the love in that town. All community partners and individuals we interacted with were so genuinely nice. They wanted to know more about Bear Breaks and what we were there for. During that whole trip, I don’t think we ran into a single person that wasn’t nice.
Everyone knew everyone in Asheville. On our first day, we picked up trash on a street, and our trolly driver on Friday had seen us picking up trash. We worked a mobile market in a community on Tuesday, and we saw those same individuals on Wednesday at Haywood. The individuals we volunteered with at Haywood on Wednesday were at the same museum on Friday as us. No matter where we went in Asheville we ran into someone we had interacted with earlier in the week. That sense of community was nice so far from home.
Why go on an immersion trip during Spring Break?
If you still haven’t decided where you want to spend your spring break, I highly suggest you consider Bear Breaks! The number one reason I chose to go back this year is because of the community. On these trips, you are far from home, and it is usually during a time during the semester you just want to go home. While going home is a good break, Bear Breaks is a good break too. You will leave with 14 strangers and come home with 14 best friends. You are able to immerse yourself in a new city and culture, and allow yourself to learn about a social issue going on in that city. These same social issues impact Springfield and can empower you to take action locally. The relationships you make with locals is the best part, and for that reason, I challenge you to go on a Bear Breaks and see what kind of relationship you can develop.
My trip to Asheville, North Carolina last spring break got me hooked into the the immersion break experience and the impact it has. For that reason, I am leading another trip to Atlanta this spring break focusing on homelessness and self sufficiency!