Alternative Spring Break is planning to expand for the 2013-14 academic year.

ASB is growing the number of winter groups from two to 10 and is adding four new trips. The trips include a Thanksgiving international student trip, a spring arts trip, a spring LGBTQ issues trip and a spring Alzheimer’s trip.

ASB Executive Director Theresa Mullineaux attributed the expansion of ASB to the popularity of the program. She said ASB wants as many students to serve as possible, so the executive board expanded the number of trips offered to better facilitate more service opportunities.

“When students step outside of their usual lives and serve other people, it creates an experience that each student can grow from,” Mullineaux said in an email. “We want more Mizzou students to experience this.”

The process of brainstorming trip ideas lies with the site leaders, Mullineaux said. Current site leaders can use former trip agendas and will have a contact on the ASB Board of Directors during the summer for assistance. The process of organizing trips begins in May.

####International Student Thanksgiving Trip

The international student Thanksgiving trip will be led by site leaders Alicia Bishop and Carlos Martínez Villar. It will focus on incorporating a mixture of international and domestic students on a weeklong Thanksgiving trip, possibly to a Native American reservation, said Bishop.

“We want to branch out to the international students specifically and make the application process less overwhelming for them,” Bishop said. “The application will include translators in different languages.”

She said adding this new holiday trip will offer new perceptions of the holidays with students spending them volunteering.

Bishop said the Thanksgiving trip would be her fifth ASB trip.

“Something about ASB is that it provides an escape from everyday life,” Bishop said. “It’s a way to get twelve strangers together to spend a week in a city they probably have never visited before and do something they have probably never done before.”

Bishop also mentioned that with the upcoming school year, ASB will have the most site leaders and participants nationwide.

####Alzheimer’s Trip

The Alzheimer’s spring trip, led by Emily Donaldson and Brock Scoville, will serve a population dealing with Alzheimer’s, Donaldson said.

“I went on a trip the past year and I love it, “ Donaldson said. “I wanted to plan a trip, and I was passionate about Alzheimer’s.”

Donaldson said she had volunteered extensively in high school with Alzhemier’s patients. She said she wanted to get back into the volunteering habit and gain a new perspective on service.

“I hope to share and experience donating time to the Alzhemier’s cause with others,” Donaldson said.

####Arts Trip

The arts spring trip will be led by Megan Anderson and Jessie Lueck. Anderson said the current idea is to make art with kids who have disabilities.

Anderson said she loves ASB very much and wants to lead people to get them excited for ASB.

“I’m so excited to work with kids,” Anderson said. “I do a lot of volunteer work with kids with disabilities. I love hanging out with them. They are inspirational and amazing.”

####LGBTQ Issues Trip

The LGBTQ issues spring trip will be led by Nathan Ellermeier and Laura Herrera. Herrera said that the current plan is to work with LGBTQ homeless shelters,while branching out to LGBTQ youth and resource centers.

“Many youth find discrimination with not queer-friendly homeless shelters,” Herrera said, while adding that about 20 percent of all homeless youth identify with the LGBTQ community.

Herrera said she is really excited to work with the participants to educate them of LGBTQ issues. She said she hopes to promote education and help a community that is often overlooked and not talked about in a positive way.

Even though she had no prior experience with ASB, Herrera is passionate about LGBTQ issues and said she identifies with the group herself.

Ellermeier had no past experiences with ASB either, but he said it is cool to start with a blank slate and to be creative about this new trip.

“I’m passionate for social justice and was really interested to become a site leader,” Ellermeier said. “I’m so excited to lead 10 to 12 students in engaging with social justice issues. I’m excited for what I will learn, and I know that I won’t be the only one learning.”