Alternative Spring Break Program

The Alternative Breaks program allows students the opportunity to work on community-based service projects both nationally and internationally.  Students spend their winter or spring break addressing a variety of issues ranging from homelessness and social issues to environmental preservation.  The Alternative Breaks program started in March of 2006 when a group of 50 UW students traveled to Waveland, Mississippi to help with hurricane Katrina relief work.  The trip was a huge success which allowed the program to expand and offer four trips the following year.  Since 2006 the program has  had an average of 70 students participating each year. In total since 2005 311 students have participated in the program and volunteered over 10,000 hours around the country and abroad.

This year the Alternative Breaks program is excited to offer a total of six trips over spring break.  We also offered our first winter break trip this year which was to Jamaica and was a huge success.  A group of 8 students spent 10 days working in a rural Jamaican community and a rural public school within the community. Other projects included repainting a bus stop and building a community trash bin. These projects helped to improve the community and community values.  During the trip students lived in the community and were hosted by local families.  The 2011 Spring break trips include traveling to Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Belize, San Francisco, Florida Everglades and Southern Utah.  Each trip has its own area of focus which allows students the opportunity to center on one issue they are passionate about such as environmental work, social work or animal issues.  In the Everglades National Park and Belize the students will be focusing on local environmental issues. Costa Rica participants will focus on educational and women’s rights issues. In the Dominican Republic the participants will staying at a local orphanage and will be working in the schools with kids. The trip to San Francisco will deal with hunger and homelessness issues in the San Francisco Bay area.  Finally, our trip to Southern Utah will be working in the largest animal sanctuary in the country. In both the Costa Rica and Belize trips the participants will stay with local families. This allows for the students to better experience the culture and people in the communities the will be working in.  Other trips will either be staying at hostels or will be camping during the trip.

Alternative Break trips benefit students  through their cultural immursions, volunteering experience and traveling experiemces.  Signups for the Alternative Break program are based on a first-come, first-serve basis with ten spots available on each trip. Fundraising is also available upon request.