Spring Break In Haiti @ 2011 The Washington Travel & Adventure Show

 

Spring Break In Haiti @ 2011 The Chicago Travel & Adventure Show

 

 

 “Voluntourism” was also identified by visitors as a burgeoning travel trend. The 2011 show highlighted voluntourism in Haiti with Spring Break in Haiti, a project that allows students and young adults to travel to Haiti and volunteer a week of their time helping with restorative projects." - Travel Pulse.com

 

Read The Full Article : Chicago Travel & Adventure Show Reports Optimism for 2011

 

"The media focus on destruction overlooks the undamaged areas of the country."

 

 

"We talked with Gregory Jesus Luc from Spring Break In Haiti about their tours. Guided vacations available include the traditional “sun & fun” beach vacations, cultural excursions or humanitarian working vacations. Trips are customized based in the type of vacation desired."  - April M Williams

 

 Read The Full Article : Travel Haiti for Spring Break

 

 

A tour targeted for a younger crowd came about when Gregory Luc, John Jay college graduate
his multi-media company is Bourgeoizie, Inc. realized that Haitian-American college-age students
wanted to go to Haiti, "Parents and the media is stopping us." Haitian-American Luc frequently
travels back and forth and believes, "There is something unique about the people of Haiti.
There are so welcoming." Luc commented, "Haiti is missing tourism. What better way is there to
open the gates to tourism than from students."

In conjunction with the National Haitian Student Alliance and with great dedication, he is organizing
a March 26 to April 2 spring-break trip to Haiti. A seasoned Haiti-based tour professional is organizing
logistics on the ground. Immediately connecting with shuttle flights to Jacmel (pressure from families
nixed a tour and overnight in Port-au-Prince), students will stay a few miles outside of Jacmel in a
lovely family-run hotel where Haitians and internationals frequent. Overlooking the water, meals are
taken with a view of the cove.

Students will visit with locals, take in historical and natural sites; they will visit an orphanage.
They will not be isolated from Haitian life. Some will opt for the daily Creole classes.Luc's brother
and co-organizer Ben Bourgeoiz sees the Creole language, arts, and general beauty of the country
as the introduction students should experience and he hopes that this emersion will make the student travelers more aware of culture in general.

A centerpiece of the trip is a world music beach concert on the 6th evening including an R&B jazz artist,
a reggae musician and local creole-singing hip-hop musicians. This trip is a dedicated effort to bridge the generation and culture gap.Luc further comments, "There are a lot of old ideas about Haiti although 85%
of the country is youth. We're trying to tap into the youth with music and film."

Although 20 have signed up thus far--half of Haitian descent, Luc expects to interest more during the
National Haitian Student Alliance Conference, that will take place at Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, March 3-6. Last year over 500 eastern seaboard Haitian-American college students
attended the 3-day event. http://www.springbreakinhaiti.com/events A recently completed trip
last fall touched deep into the consciousness of its participants.Travelers from New York and Miami
Haitians who hadn't been home in a very long time and African-American activists introduced to Haiti
for the first time visited Cape Haitien, its environs, and some overland cities.

BY TEQUILA MINSKY in 2007

"Although, I am physically in Albany, NY, my mind is still in Haiti ♥" - Shazzia Hines
, SUNY ALBANY GRAD STUDENT 2010

"After my Great Awakening in Haiti, I have come to a dual realization... 1) the things I take for granted in the aftermath of a disaster 2)the splendor of such natural beauty that can only be found in the heart of Ayiti....live love, laugh...most of all, be blessed.." - Nicole B, SUNY GRAD STUDENT 2010

"It truly was a great experience. The news and media play on people's intelligence so much and lead some to believe its so dangerous or so bad in Haiti that we are suppose to act non-human and forget about those effected by the quake." - Kenyetta Ivy, SUNY ALBANY GRAD STUDENT 2010






THE BEST TRIP YET FOR 2010 !!!


The ultimate vacation that brings people from the u.s and all walks of life to the beautiful country of haiti.participants experienced the wonders of the island, as well as witnessed the tremendous need for humanitarian effort to rebuild, as a result of the catastrophic earthquake on january 12, 2010. Spring break in haiti is a not for profit educational organization that coordinated an all inclusive (7) day, (6) night (march 28-april 4, 2010) introduction/getaway to haiti. Our mission is to educate and introduce haiti to the world and re-introduce haiti to the diaspora.

Spring break in haiti and (17) u.s. citizens/college students embarked on a journey that forever changed their lives. Upon arriving in haiti, the participants were greeted by sbih tour guides, and then escorted to the gawou ginou foundation cultural center in mirebalais, haiti. We spent (3) nights at the cultural center, which included a student exchange dormatory with a hotel-like accomodating atmosphere. The culture center has an onsite elementary school, where we assisted with organizing and cleaning classrooms, as well as initiating recycling and sanitation efforts involving the neighborhood children.

We visited the local hospital and orphanage of mirebalais. All of the participants had a pleasant experience interacting with the citizens of mirebalais. The goal of the trip was to give everyone an enhanced understanding of the country, provide them with a platform for in depth dialogue, and to share their experiences with associated communities or organizations. We were also proud to take part in a water distribution initiative within the tent communities of port-au-prince directed by yele dlo/yele haiti, (artist musician) wyclef jean's organization.

We were then chartered to port-au-prince to experience and support the citizen merchants of croix de bouqets, haiti. We also visited the hopital de la communaute haitienne, (petion-ville) and donated medical supplies, as well as interacted with the admitted children's ward patients where we distributed toys. Our trip to the house of handicap children (local orphanage) in delma was an experience that exposed us to the direct results of the earthquake. The orphanage was damaged to the point where the medically fragile children have been displaced and unable to live in the place they have called home for the past (5) years.

After providing humanitarian and relief assistance we then checked in to the kaliko beach resort hotel for debriefment and group reflection on our experiences. The resort is located in cote de arcadins area with a beautiful beach setting. We enjoyed dinner, relaxation and entertainment. This provided us with the exotic getaway feel. The service was professional and welcoming which makes kaliko hotel a must visit in haiti.

Spring break in haiti is the one trip that changes your perspective of haiti and provides outlets for people to get involved in the rebuilding and sustained development of haiti. This is definitely a trip worth taking.

- Spring Break In Haiti Team.