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The Basics
BUILDERS BEYOND BORDERS is open to high school students willing to work with and for those less fortunate. Students come from a number of schools in the Northeast, and the number of schools whose students participate in B3 expands each year.
Team Structure and Adult Advisors
Work Teams consist of approximately 34 students and 6 adult Advisors.
Each Advisor is assigned 5 or 6 students in the fall. Throughout the year leading up to the spring trip, each Team meets frequently to begin the team-building that will be needed on the worksite, and individual Advisors meets with his/her team of students to develop a relationship and to address any concerns of the students or parents. At the actual worksite, the students and Advisors function as a single team; however, the Advisor-advisee relationship remains.
Senior Advisors and Leadership Training
In addition to adult Advisors, high school seniors who have participated in prior B3 trips can be selected to become Student Leaders to help manage the trip and project details along with the adult Advisors . Prior to the trip, adult and senior Advisors participate in a weekend leadership training program to enhance their leadership and team-building skills.
Click here for photos of the 2007 leadership training program.
Behavior - No Drinking, Drugs, Sex, Smoking
This is easy - they are not allowed under any circumstances at any B3 function. We have a Zero Tolerance policy and violators will be sent home immediately at the parent's expense and will not be invited back. Click here for a list of B3 Rules and Regulations.
Paying for the Trip
The cost to each student for the 2009 trip to is $2,500. This covers all ground and air transportation, visas and taxes, meals, lodging, excursions, and building supplies. Students must earn a substantial portion of their way in order to participate; parents are not allowed to simply to write a check. B3 provides a variety of ways to assist students in earning their way. B3 sponsors fund-raising events where students sell goods (e.g., clothing, fruit, holiday greens, flower bulbs). In addition, students are shown how to write “Building Block Letters” to ask friends and family for donations.
Throughout the year, students are required to meet specified funding milestones. The Advisors monitor each student’s funding progress, and provide assistance and encouragement along the way. Because B3 is paying for airfare and building supplies well in advance of the actual trips, meeting these milestones is essential for the B3 organization. Financial Aid is available to encourage a diverse group of students on each trip.
B3 Commitment
The work trips occur during high school spring breaks; however, students (and parents) are actively involved in B3 activities throughout the school year -- attending and participating in meetings, leadership training courses, fundraising ventures, and community service projects. B3 is not merely a teen tour but rather a year-round commitment and frame-of-mind. To apply, students and parents must complete an Application and be accepted into the program. New Applicants and their parents must also participate in a mandatory Introductory Meeting.
Information on B3's upcoming trip is available in the UPCOMING TRIPS page.
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