BreakAway Trips

Why would eight UWT students and faculty seek to spend a spring break restoring critical habitat on the Coast Fork of the Willamette River, without the promise of academic credit or pay? Some came for the environment. Some to make new friends, but all came to connect to something deeper by trip’s end.

Inspired by last year’s trip, student organizer Frederick Anex-Schnauss assembled a diverse team of students of all majors and personalities to gather in a common cause: to help restore critical habitats damaged by human intervention.

But the trip was off to a rocky start. Due to personal events, two participants dropped out.   The students in the remaining group of eight--the minimum size required to hold the trip--expressed some uneasiness conducting projects in nature and so far outside their comfort zones and majors.

But as training began the team started to come together, work seemed less daunting. Working with Meiko-- the FOBP Volunteer Coordinator-- in the critical habitat called the Turtle Flats, students planted native species to restore the ecological relationships once damaged by gravel mining.  Things started coming into focus. "We learned what they don't see about the environment,” one initially hesitant student noted. “We need it. We can't survive without it. It's not in my major but it's essential for my life."  

By trip’s end, a connection hadn’t just deepened with the environment but with the environment and its connection to our relationships.  A final student reflection noted, “ I realized that people must be mindful and careful in order to keep the right balance between good intentions and imposing ideas.” And by the end you could tell the group was thinking about their relationships to each other, the land and community”

“Coming into this felt uneasy,” a student wrote. “But coming out I have a renewed energy to understand why we do this. It isn't (necessarily) volunteering, the planning, the struggle of getting going that matters. It’s the connections to ourselves, each other, the community. So without getting too analytical about the trip, thank you BreakAway for bringing me in and making me part of this.”

 Habitat for Humanity Tacoma-   Frederick Anex-Schnauss recruited a team of 12 passionate and diverse students to “engage our social issue of housing affordability,” through the construction of Habitat for Humanity homes. Before the trip, students attended training and educated themselves on the historical, cultural and economic causes of gentrification in South Sound’s Hilltop and Tillicum neighborhoods.   While some of the students learned about this history for the first time, others knew about it first-hand and had joined the trip to engage the issue. This is a common fight. Anex-Schnauss said. “One student lives in a Habitat home, another has experienced homelessness, and another was in the process of finding housing.”  

After training, the students put on their tool belts, took up their hammers and Tyvek, and set out to Tillicum to take action.

Students were able to fully nail plywood for two houses, fully wrap and insulate one house, landscape another, and bring a home up to muster to pass inspection. Not to mention countless other small projects the group was able to complete during their excursion. “It was amazing to see,” Habitat Community Engagement Manager Tracy Sorenson said. “This was the hardest working group I’ve had all year.”

While the students in the BreakAway group set out to build houses in Tillicum, they also found that they were building a community among each other through a common cause.

“I am usually really shy but breakaway helped me meet other people” one student wrote in an anonymous reflection.  Another wrote, “I really got to know some of the other people here both in and out of my major.”

Students reflected that they learned to “be more assertive”, while also knowing when to “embraced the humility of being part of a team.”

It’s an amazing thing to see , when a  we realize build habitats for humanity  isn’t just about plywood and nails, but offering students a chance to lead from their experiences while constructing community here at UW Tacoma.

 I don’t think we ever got this dirty before!---  ¾ of a mile of barbed wire fence removed;  One irrigation trench dug in the nursery; 175 trees planted at a restoration site; 2 hikes up Mt. Pisgah; Sun, hail, rain, and snow within the same week; Countless plants de-mossed; And more importantly, many connections made and lessons learned.

BreakAway is about so much more than service. Every night, this team sat around the fire, cooked meals together, and had incredible conversations. This BreakAway build our connections with one another, with the land in the region, and with the organization. We were blessed to work alongside volunteers who have been with the Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah since its inception in 1989.

Breakaway Coordinators Notes:

“On this trip the students were incredible in how they collaborated and pushed one another. I learned so much from each student on this trip, and felt we found role models in many of the people working at the organization. Friends of Buford Park and Mt Pisgah welcomed us into their community, giving us the opportunity to participate in the restoration of the area, and to be part of the close connections and thoughtful community that has been fostered there. I am incredibly grateful for all the students on this trip, and for the organization – especially their volunteer coordinator.

If there is anything I have learned from this BreakAway it is that we have so much to learn from one another. Taking a step back, sitting down, and listening is the first step to creating space for us to share our knowledge and joy. For those of you considering BreakAway, this is something incredibly special. Regardless of if you participate in this program, I encourage you to seek out challenging conversations and to practice listening to learn – there is so much out there that we can’t learn in the classroom. We need each other!”

Participant Notes:

“Giving back through volunteer work as a team is about giving to one another. I learned a lot on this trip from my teammates.”

“You'll be surprised about how many lessons you are going to learn as a person during this trip. Even if you are doing this because you have to and due to personal choice, it is fantastic, and a worthwhile experience.”

“I feel like I have become connected with my environment because my understanding has expanded”

Wow!  We did a lot of work: 1500+ Meals Served, 170 Youth got holiday gifts from “Shopping Day”, Piles of clothes were sorted at the Donation Center and countless meaningful connections were made.

But... BreakAway isn’t just about the service! The volunteer team played a LOT of games of Uno, spent hours preparing for the trip, and engaged in meaningful reflection and exploration of service. BreakAway is a chance to not only participate in your community for a week, but to engage with one another and connect with both your peers and the organization on a deeper level.

Breakaway Coordinators Notes:

“This Tacoma Rescue Mission trip was amazing. Our third BreakAway trip in community partnership with TRM, I feel I learned a lot and came away from this with a new perspective. More than that, I think every student who went on this trip brought something special to the team, and learned something unique from the experience. I made some connections here that transformed my ideas about the world, and will last long past the week of this trip. To anyone thinking about BreakAway, it can seem intimidating, but I think there’s something special about leaning into that. Embrace the challenge and you will be surprised about what you can take away from this experience.”

Participant Notes:

“My breakaway trip was challenging but also very fulfilling. To get the most from this experience I would say go in with an open mind. “

“You'll be surprised about how many lessons you are going to learn as a person during this trip. Even if you are doing this because you have to and due to personal choice, it is fantastic, and a worthwhile experience.”

“Believe it or not but they (the clients) are going to give you a lot and its not in a materialistic way, it is with a loving open way.”