I attended alternative breaks in Spring of 2018 and Fall 2019. I went with Tri-Beta the National Biological Honor Society both times. Camp Ramapo is in Rhinebeck New York which is a traditional summer camp that goes year-round to assist children and young adults with disabilities called staff assistants. The program utilizes staff assistants which was created to help facilitate their transition into independence. These individuals may have difficulties in building and maintaining healthy relationships with peers, or may have struggled in an unsupportive setting. These young adults are currently in college, working part-time, or volunteering.

 

     When we went to help them work on certain skills like time management, hygiene, organization, networking, health and fitness, stress management, job interviews, sex education, and personal boundaries. My group quickly realized that these young adults were more independent than we originally thought they would be. Through Alternative Breaks, we created workshops to help these young adults transition into the workforce and the real world. These workshops were designed to help these individuals to form healthy friendships, make good choices, develop self-confidence, and experience success. One of the workshops I did was on networking, my partner and I created activities such as how to introduce yourself, what not to do at work, and we discussed boundaries with peers. After each workshop, we would test them throughout the day to see if they remembered what we had discussed. Their faces would light up when they knew the answer to our questions.

 

     We would do end-of-the-day reflections, that helped the group come closer together because we established trust with one another and I learned through this experience, the value of team-building. All the workshops had a purpose and I could not have done it alone without the help with the other participants. The workshops consisted of helping young adults with their daily interactions. They know everyone in the camp but once they leave they will have to learn how to speak with new people.