RISD Alternative Spring Break (ASB)

RISD Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is excited to announce our local community service project!  This year, RISD ASB has decided to focus on the community that our own campus is a part of.  We will work at an abandoned synagogue (688 Broad St.), right here in Providence.  RISD ASB 2012 is a service opportunity dedicated to creating an accessible community space within this historic synagogue, and raising awareness of the site’s potential within the Providence Community.

The project will involve three core components.  First, the group will work to improve the outdoor area of the Synagogue by beautifying its appearance and making it more accessible and welcoming to the outside community.  This could potentially include a community garden and a playground.  Next, the group will implement a series of awareness pieces with the hope of drawing attention to the space and getting the community more involved with its future.  Finally, on the last day, the ASB group will welcome members of the community to the synagogue for an arts and crafts fair, gallery exhibit, and tour/information about the abandoned synagogue.  There will also be time for general discussion about what the next steps should be in this ongoing project.

We hope to make a meaningful impact on the community while working to ensure that the voices of those who live there are heard and supported.  We want to make sure that this space is an all inclusive representation of the community that reflects the needs and goals of its citizens! We would like this to be the first stage of an ongoing partnership that engages students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the community.

If you are in Providence during the RISD/Brown Spring Break (March 26 –April 1) you are invited to come participate! Everyone is welcome and you do not have to sign up for the whole week! Come and stand alongside members of our community as we work together to preserve, support, and utilize this historically rich space.  Each day the group arrives at the synagogue around 9/9:30 and departs any time between 4:30 and 5:30. As a side note, each day we will be providing enrichment opportunities so that the group is able to actively engage in and learn from different organizations and individuals within the community.  These special events may fall outside of the above time frame.

We will also be accepting temporary art donations, which will be exhibited in the community art gallery on the final day of the project.  Donations will be accepted through March 30.  It will be returned to you.

Click http://www.flickr.com/photos/joritakemypicture/sets/72157628385479987/ to view the site we will be working at and to get an idea of its future potential.

Click https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEtRT0p1ZTg3WjZVY3dvUm9xMGVwSnc6MQ#gid=0 to sign up for our project
Email ASBrisd@gmail.com if you would like to lend us art

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your support!

The RISD ASB Team

RISD ASB is sponsored by RISD Community Service and the RISD Center for Student Involvement