VOLUNTEER FOR DUTCH SALVATION ARMY ON SPRING BREAK
Students will travel to Amsterdam for an "Alternative" Spring Break to study social service outreach by volunteering for the Dutch Salvation Army in Amsterdam. Students will be exposed to the progressive Dutch views on homeless, prostitution, soft drugs, and prison parolees. Participating students will sign up for PLS 499 "NGOs and Social Service Outreach" for the Winter Quarter. This course will examine social service outreach from a comparative perspective. PLS 499 is a prerequisite course for the Amsterdam trip. Students that want to go on the Amsterdam trip must take this course. However, those who do not wish to go to Amsterdam may still take this course.

PLS 499 Course Description
This course will examine the missions of international NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders, The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It will deconstruct NGO responses to international crisis events. This course will also examine Hollywood celebrities and their causes.

Earn 6-units of credit in:
PLS 499 "NGOs and Social Service Outreach" (4-units), Wednesdays 6-9:50 p.m.
International Fieldwork in Amsterdam (PLS 400, 2-units; Spring Quarter).

Open to all Majors: 20-student limit for Amsterdam trip. Primarily on a first come first served basis: based on the submission of applications and trip deposit. However, the faculty coordinator has the right to be selective about which students will go on this trip. See Program Cost.

For more information contact:
Dr. Renford Reese, rrreese@csupomona.edu

Patric Khiev's Video of the Amsterdam 2011 Trip

Short Documentary of 2011 Trip


Salvation Army Documentary of 2009 Trip

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The documentary of the 2009 trip was produced by the
Amsterdam Salvation Army and aired on Dutch TV.

Student Comments 2011
Visiting Amsterdam was rejuvenating, eye opening and motivating. It was rejuvenating in that it reaffirmed my desire to be a public servant; eye opening in that I was able to observe and experience what progressive policies can accomplish, such as eliminating homelessness; and motivating in that it strengthened my devotion to strive to be an agent of social change.
–Denise Garcia

Prison Race Interview
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Watch the Prison Race Interview with Kim Hulscher of the Salvation Army. The topics of Dutch social service outreach for prostitutes, drug users, and parolees are discussed. This interview is an excellent window into the subjects that will be addressed during this international trip.

Student Comments 2009