Forget bikini contests and beer pong. This spring break could be all about Ferguson, Mo.
The protests may have calmed down six months after the death of Michael Brown, but activist leaders in the St. Louis suburbs are looking for 250 college students to help out with a week of “community service and civic engagement.”
This alternative spring break would include registering new voters, running food banks and cleaning up streets.
“Maybe there were some people who had planned to go down to Miami or Acapulco, and now see that there is something bigger,” said Patricia Bynes, a Democratic committeewoman for the town and a co-founder of the Ferguson alternative spring break program, told The Guardian.
She said this would not be just a continuation of the protests or a “come party in St Louis and take a selfie at the Mike Brown memorial” spring break opportunity.
“This about giving back to the community. Should people decide not to engage, they’ll forfeit the benefits,” Bynes said.
The students will help clean up the town, which was destroyed by riots that took place after a grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Brown.
If the group can gain access, they plan to help clear the wreckage of burned-out businesses on West Florissant Avenue, the retail corridor that became the center of protests, the Guardian reported.
The Ferguson alternative spring break will run for five week-long sessions in March and April. Students must fund their own travel to Ferguson, as well as an additional $100 for accommodation, food and transportation during the program.
