Trip Leaders

Apply to be a Spring 2025 Trip Leader

Immersion Trip Leaders are students dedicated to service. Trip Leaders are responsible for planning and facilitating trips, including reflections, education about social justice issues, etc. Trip Leaders are part of a semester-long training and leadership program, which includes weekly workshops throughout the fall semester, weekly meetings through the spring semester, a ropes course and Springfield immersion trip. All trip leaders must have been a Bear Breaks participant. Other primary trip leader duties are to:

Plan and lead Trips - Trip Leaders work with community partners, Bear Breaks executive board, Missouri State faculty and staff to develop work plans and plan logistics, including responsible budgeting and spending, meal planning, emergency management, and ensuring that all participants turn in required forms.

Assist with Participant Recruitment - Trip Leaders will boost participation in the immersion programs by serving as spokespeople for their trips and developing creative outreach plans to target groups related to their social issue or location.

Implement Issue Education, Orientation, and Training - A central function of Trip Leaders in planning and implementing creative, diverse approaches to issue education, orientation, and training for participants in pre-trip meetings. They can subsequently coordinate with community partners, faculty, and local community leaders for resources and pre-trip service.

Develop a Strong Team - Throughout their work with participants, trip leaders foster cohesion and trust through the use of group builders, icebreakers, and facilitated activities and discussion. Trip leaders also make space for downtime together to learn about each other.

Prepare Reorientation - Trip Leaders are the key to the reorientation process and equip participants with resources to facilitate their individual growth as active citizens. Trip leaders will coordinate post-trip service and advocacy activities for their group.

Promote and Motivate Fundraising - Trip Leaders may assist the Bear Breaks executive board with planning fundraisers. They play a key role in motivating energetic involvement in fundraising among participants.

Time Commitment - Trip Leaders can expect to spend 1 to 1.5 hours in a trip leader meeting each week, beginning in August and ending a week after their trip.  In addition, trip leaders are expected to attend the fall retreat and meet with a member of the executive board occasionally to discuss the planning of their trip. Trip leaders are also expected to host two pre-trip meetings and one post-trip meeting and attend Coffee & Change.