For many American university students, the weeklong springbreak holiday means an endless party on a …

For many American university students, the weeklong spring
break holiday means an endless party on a sunny beach in Florida or Mexico. In
Panama City Beach, Florida, a city with a permanent population of around
36,000, more than half a million university students arrive during the month of
March to play and party, making it the number one spring break destination in
the United States.

            A weeklong
drinking binge is not for anyone, however, and a
growing number of American university students have found a way to make spring
break matter. For them, joining or leading a group of volunteers to travel
locally or internationally and work to alleviate problems such as poverty,
homelessness, or environmental damage makes spring break a unique learning
experience that university students can feel good about.

            During one
spring break week, students at James Madison University in Virginia
participated in 15 “alternative spring break” trips to nearby states, three
others to more distant parts of the United States, and five international
trips. One group of JMU students traveled to Bogalusa, Louisiana, to help
rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Another group traveled to
Mississippi to organize creative activities for children living in a homless
shelter. One group of students did go to Florida, but not to lie on the sand.  They performed exhausting physical labor such
as maintaining hiking trails and destroying invasive plant species that
threaten the native Florida ecosystem.

            Students
who participate in alternative spring break projects find them very
rewarding. While most university students have to get their degrees before they
can start helping people, student volunteers are able to help people now. On
the other hand, the accommodations are far from glamorous. Students often sleep
on the floor of a school or spend the week camping in tents. But students only
pay around $250 for meals and transportation, which is much less than some of
their peers spend to travel to more traditional spring break hotspots.

            Alternative
spring break trips appear to be growing in popularity at universities across
the United States. Students cite a number of reason for participating. Some appreciate
the opportunity to socialize and meet new friends. Others want to exercise
their beliefs about people’s obligation to serve humanity and make the world a
better place whatever their reason, these students have discovered something
that gives them rich rewards along with a break from school work.

(“Active Skills for Reading: Book 2” by Neil J.Anderson – Thompson,
2007)

 The article is mainly about______.