It may seem strange that while most students are counting down the days until school recesses on Fri., Mar. 5, a number of students have opted to stay in New Haven for break. Spring Break in New Haven, an alternative six-day spring break “trip” sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office, was started in 2007 by Rabbi Lina Zerbarini. According to Callista Isabelle, DIV ’05, the associate university chaplain, “The purpose of Spring Break in New Haven is to provide Yale students with an opportunity to explore their city. We do community service, we eat at local restaurants, we talk with city leaders about the challenges facing New Haven, and we have lots of fun in the process.” Now in its third year of existence, the program is co-sponsored by the Office of New Haven & State Affairs, the McDougal Center, Slifka Center, and the Office of International Students & Scholars.

In the past, a typical trip consisted of 15 students and two leaders. Last year, undergraduates comprised the majority of the trip’s members, with a few students from the Divinity and Forestry schools. International students trapped on campus were also represented in the program. As Joseph Breen, SY ’12, who participated in the program last year, said, “I made one or two very close friends from other parts of the university who I probably would not have met otherwise.”

Isabelle explained that the trip’s itinerary emphasizes community service involvement through activities such as ice-skating with refugee children; cooking dinner at Fellowship Place, (a housing service for those recovering from mental illnesses); and volunteering at local high schools. Other program highlights include morning yoga; bike riding to the beach; and talking with community leaders. The program boasts 15 meals from local New Haven eateries ranging from Thali to Pepe’s, all for 50 dollars.

Isabelle further explained that students have a variety of motivations for participating in the program. Within the Yale bubble, it is often easy to forget that New Haven is a metropolis of over 100,000 people with more to offer than G-Heav and Toad’s. Most students’ mental map of the city extends from Science Hill to Walgreens, which juts out into the unknown something like the Portugal of the ancient world. Spring Break at Yale is a way to explore that uncharted territory.

Breen describes the program as “a celebration and investigation of the city,” and says students who participate “become more comfortable maneuvering the city, finding things to do, and leave with a much better understanding of the political and cultural history of the city as well as its strengths and the challenges it faces.” Students also reportedly have fun.