ASB Participant Information

ASB Participant Information Sheet

Program Overview:

The Alternative Spring Break program (ASB) is a unique program new to NYU Law School and coordinated by LSHR. ASB affords the opportunity to: participate in a week-long internship with a public interest organization; experience new cultures; work directly with pressing legal issues; bond with a diverse group of NYU School of Law students; and network with NYU alumni and public interest practitioners. This year, a total of 36 NYU students will participate in the program with 12 students on each site. Participation in the program includes funds to cover the cost of travel and to subsidize the cost of food. The 2006-2007 sites are:

Urban Justice, Bronx County, NY: Bronx County is the poorest urban county in our country and third poorest county overall. In 2003, statistics showed that 26.8 % of the total Bronx County population lived below the poverty line. NYU students will work with several prominent Bronx legal service organizations over spring break, including the Bronx Defenders, Legal Services New York and Legal Aid Society.

Immigrant Rights, Miami: Over 51% of the population in Miami-Dade is foreign born. Despite the enormity of the immigrant population, Florida immigrants continue to face discrimination and abusive prosecution. NYU students in Miami will advocate for immigrant rights with nationally renowned organizations such as FIAC, Catholic Charities Legal Services, St. Thomas Human Rights Coalition, and Church World Service. Spanish language skills are recommended but not required.

Hurricane Rebuilding, New Orleans: Last year, NYU students in New Orleans assisted along a broad spectrum of relief and rebuilding efforts, from advocating for voters rights to investigating allegations of police misconduct. The legal questions and problems facing the individuals and communities throughout the Gulf Coast region remain monumental in scale, and will persist for months and years to come. Through our partnership with Student Hurricane Network, NYU students will again work with a variety of legal services organizations in New Orleans to assist with rebuilding efforts.

Participant Expectations:

The most important part of Alternative Spring break is participating fully in your internship over spring break. Although specific duties will vary, participants are expected to work a full work week (~ 40 hours) from March 12th to16th. Participants should also expect to partake in group activities during that week. Although travel will likely be coordinated with other group members, please note that participants may arrive anytime on Sunday, March 11th and to leave anytime on Saturday, March 17th. Each site will have a minimum of 3 site meetings in advance of spring break in order to plan logistics, facilitate group bonding, and learn about legal issues relevant to your site’s work and participants are also expected to attend as many of these meetings as possible.