The Flint Center for Educational Excellence (Flint Center) Community Education initiative is partnering with 88 Howard University students who have come to Flint for their annual Howard University Alternative Spring Break (HUASB).
HUASB began service in Flint shortly after the Flint Water Crisis. The first HUASB students came to Flint in 2015 at the invitation of former Community School Director Mohammed Aboutawila, and they have come every year since, apart from a two-year hiatus due to COVID. Their alternate spring break trip is a regular feature of the Flint Center Community Education initiative, currently coordinated by Jason Rogers, Community School Director at the Southwestern Classical Academy/Alternative Learning Academy (SWA/ALA).
This year HUASB students are volunteering in eight Flint Center Community Education program schools. The college students are working in teams of 7-15 at: SWA/ALA, Doyle-Ryder Educational Center, Brownell STEM Academy, Holmes STEM Middle School Academy, Durant-Tuuri-Mott/Educare, International Academy of Flint, and Dye Elementary.
Their service includes everything from painting and beautification projects at SWA/ALA to helping classroom teachers at Doyle-Ryder Education Center, to doing one-on-one mentoring with students at Holmes STEM Middle School Academy. Each school site will undertake different projects and presentations tailored to the schools’ needs.
At SWA/ALA and Homles, HUASB students will also deliver college/HBCU presentations. “A cornerstone of the HUASB experience is allowing students at Flint Center Community School sites to interact with college students through one-on-one interactions and opportunities to discuss goals and aspirations, and envision a path for their futures,” said Rogers.
This marks the 32nd anniversary of the HUASB program. Since 1994, HUASB has stood at the forefront of empowering communities and dismantling disparities across the nation and world through meaningful, student-led service. HUASB has been committed to serving communities in need while cultivating the next generation of servant leaders. This year’s theme, “Service with Impact: Empowering Communities and Dismantling Disparities,” honors HUASB’s enduring legacy of transformative service in communities throughout the globe.
