TRIP ITINERARY
Service by the Bay:
Spring Break Service in San Francisco, Living, Learning, and Lending a hand!

Day 01 - Saturday
Arrive between 2:00pm and 5:00pm at San Francisco International Airport.

Students will be greeted by a Rustic Pathways staff member and taken to their home base for the next week.  There will be a welcoming orientation detailing the week’s events and a group dinner.  We have an early night to bed as we begin our week of service.  Come prepared for an intimate look into the serious problem of poverty and homelessness and how people are engaging to change it.

Day 02 - Sunday
Service and Study
Today you will arrive at Alameda Point Collaborative (APC), a non-profit organization that provides housing and services to over 200 previously homeless families with over 250 children living there.  You will be given a tour of the facilities and begin your day of service at APC.  Throughout the week you can expect to spend time building, cooking and cleaning.  In addition, you will be working with children and going on field trips around the Bay Area with APC residents when they are available.  We ask that you keep an open mind and a willingness to learn about the roots of poverty and the issues that challenge the solutions.

In the evening, we will debrief from the day’s events.  At night we will visit the famous North Beach of San Francisco.  The opportunity to visit Coit Tower and walk around the area better known as “Little Italy” will make you want to stay in San Francisco forever.

Days 03 to 05 – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Work Hard, Play Hard
For the next four days you will continue to provide services at Alameda Point Collaborative while having the opportunity to talk with residents, case workers, school officials and the larger community about the issues surrounding homelessness.  You will work both directly and indirectly with previously homeless residents during your community service. 

You will spend time meeting and working with the Growing Youth Council, an inspiring group of teenagers who are motivated to help their community by raising awareness of ways to access healthier foods.  This will be an eye-opening opportunity to learn about the myriad layers of concerns that impoverished people struggle to overcome. 

As you uncover some of these topics you will visit the beautiful UC Berkeley Campus.  Here we will have a more formal debriefing about the issues surrounding poverty and homelessness and talk about our experiences with poverty and potential solutions.  This is your opportunity to bring your week’s experience to the table for further discussion and raise questions that concern you.

During the evenings we will visit Alcatraz, the Exploratorium and the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge.  On Thursday evening, you can choose from several optional activities: see a performance or sports game, walk down the “crookedest street in the world” (Lombard street), have dinner in the hip Mission district, slide down the secret slides of San Francisco, or visit a street fair.  You will explore the city’s gems that only a local can show you how to find!  

Day 06 - Friday
San Francisco Style and Smiles!
The morning will be spent visiting the beautiful Seven Lovely Sisters Houses in Alamo Square Park made famous by the show Full House.  Taking a short walk across the street we will visit the famous Haight/Ashbury neighborhood and where the civil rights movement began.  We will stop to get a bite to eat at hippie hill before we head back to APC. We begin our service in the late afternoon, so our night is free to spend with the APC children who rarely have the opportunity to explore places outside their neighborhood.  We will have an exciting night out as we adventure out with the kids.  Get ready to act like a kid again these kids’ enthusiasm is easily contagious.

Day 07 – Saturday
A Final Goodbye to the City by the Bay!
We ask that you book your flight home between 8:00 am and 11:00am.

An important note about this trip is that students need to come prepared to work long days and be willing to see and help a population of the United States that is rarely addressed by teenagers.  However, there is plenty of recreation built into this trip. This program is popular with students who are looking for a real life-changing experience. Up to thirty-five hours of community service hours are awarded for this trip.  Please be prepared to step outside your natural comfort zone while you explore these complicated issues of poverty and homelessness.

Reflection and personal exploration is critical to getting the most out of this service.  This program is designed for those who want an intimate look at a beautiful and enticing place in a manner available to very few visitors while simultaneously engaging in positive change.    

Pack the following items in your carry-on luggage:

Notes:
-Students will have their own sleeping pad at the community center.

Remember don’t be that person with way too much stuff.  We will be working, playing, and exploring so think comfort, not style.
The people of New Orleans eagerly await your arrival!

1 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
Students will stay at the Fort Mason Hostel near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.  This is the hostel of choice for the Girl Scouts of America because of safety and location.  Students sleep in bunk beds and will stay in rooms that accommodate between 4 and 8 people (of the same sex).  The hostel provides all linens for beds.  Rustic Pathways has exclusive use of the rooms we are in.  The hostel has showers, flush toilets, laundry, internet, kitchen and a snack bar.  The hostel is situated between the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf with views of the ocean, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.  There are also sports fields and a BBQ pit for outdoor gatherings.

2 - Will the students be drinking bottled water? 
San Francisco water is safe for drinking but students are able to purchase bottled water and other drinks from the snack bar.

3 - What kind of food will we be eating?
Students will be expected to help prepare meals.  Students will eat a combination of dishes. Breakfasts typically include cereal, breads, crackers and fruit. Lunches will often be packed with sandwiches, fruit and salad.  Dinners range from dinning out at restaurants to home cooked pastas, curries, salads vegetables, soups and meat.

4 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
On average, our programs on Rustic Pathways are 60% female and 40% male.

5 - How does this program connect to other programs?
This program only runs during spring break.  You can connect to another spring break program if you have a two week spring break.

6 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?
No.  Students and parents are responsible for arranging their own airfare to San Francisco.  Students must arrive at SFO between 14:00 and 17:00.  Students must depart between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM.  There will be a Rustic Pathways staff member at the Airport to greet them when they arrive and to make sure they check-in properly for departure.

7 - How long is the drive from SFO to the accommodations?
About 45 minutes by car.

8 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
You do not need a visa unless you live outside of the United States.  If you live out of the USA please contact the United States embassy in your country and follow their guidelines for entry.

9 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?
All Rustic Pathways students are required to have an up-to-date tetanus shot. We suggest Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid vaccinations and recommend that you consult a doctor regarding immunizations for travel to the region. You can find additional information on immunizations for travel from the US Center for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov.

10 - What costs are not included on this trip?
The only items not included in this trip are optional activities, souvenirs, snacks, drinks, use of the internet and small donations that students may opt to contribute as part of their service projects.
 
11 – What is the recommended allowance for this program?
 The amount of allowance is dependent on your child’s spending habits and choice of optional activities.  Below is a list of optional activities.  We recommend at least $200.00 USD per week or more if wanting to participate in an optional activity.  All activities and prices are subject to change.  Please fill out Part 4 of the waver CAREFULLY to ensure your child can participate in the activity of his or her choice.

These prices are subject to change
Sailing in San Francisco - $100.00
Performance - $100.00
Phone Card - $11.00
Internet - $3.00 per ½ hour
Laundry - $5.00
Snack Bar – dependent on student’s purchase
Souvenirs – dependent on student’s purchase

Note – You can transfer money into your son’s or daughter’s allowance while they are on the program but you will incur added fees.  Please overestimate your child’s needs so you do not have to face the hassle of wiring money to Ohio.  Students spending habits will be overseen by staff.