LD
Lea Dolimier
  • Environmental biology, sustainability minor
  • Class of 2016
  • Severna Park, MD

Lea Dolimier of Severna Park, MD, traded fall break for a weekend of experiencing the "REAL" Dayton.

2013 Oct 28

Lea Dolimier of Severna Park, MD, traded fall break for a weekend of experiencing the "REAL" Dayton.

REAL Dayton, an immersion trip over the University's fall break, enables students to Reach out, Enrich themselves, Act for others and Learn about the city their University calls home. Students who have participated said the program helps them experience life outside of the college "bubble." It challenges their stereotypes and assumptions and turns them into advocates for people visiting the city and becoming more involved in the greater Dayton community.

REAL Dayton begins with dinner on campus and ends with dinner off campus. Students are divided into groups, and each group takes a tour of Dayton neighborhoods and community partners with the University's Fitz Center for Leadership in Community, tours cultural sites around Dayton and does community service projects with local community agencies.

Students also have the chance to eat local food, interact with people who live within Dayton's city limits and experience a simulation of world power and wealth distribution. In the evenings, students reflect on the day's events and engage with local community members and activists during a panel presentation.

The intent is to help University of Dayton students feel more connected and more concerned about the greater Dayton community.

Participating organizations include the House of Bread, St. Vincent de Paul shelter and the Good Neighbor House, as well as educational and recreational agencies such as Five Rivers MetroParks and the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton International Peace Museum, the Missing Peace Art Space and Garden Station at the intersection of Fourth Street and Wayne Avenue.