Alternative Breaks

What is an Alternative Break?
An alternative break program places teams of college or high school students in communities to engage in community service and experiential learning during their summer, fall, winter, weekend or spring breaks. Students perform short-term projects for community agencies and learn about issues such as literacy, poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness and the environment. The objectives of an alternative break program are to involve students in community-based service projects and to give students opportunities to learn about the problems faced by members of communities with whom they otherwise may have had little or no direct contact. Being completely immersed into diverse environments enables participants to experience, discuss, and understand social issues in a significant way. The intensity of the experience increases the likelihood that participants will transfer the lessons learned on-site back to their own communities during Community Alternative Breaks. Alternative breaks are used as a springboard into lifelong active citizenship...where the community becomes a priority in an individual's life decisions.

Active citizenship Continuum
The Active Citizenship Continuum is the driving force behind what we do at Break Away, and why it's so important to us that alternative break programs incorporate the Eight Quality Components As you see illustrated, alternative breaks can become much more than memorable volunteer vacations...they can be a powerful catalyst for a transformed world view and lifelong active citizenship.

Eight Quality Components of an Alternative Break
The following components have been established through the national partner organization, Break Away, to help student leaders in order to exceed the typical volunteer vacation experience and move its participants down the path toward Lifelong Active Citizenship. Each of the following components is vital to providing a quality break experience: without one, the impact is lessened; with all of them developed thoroughly, there is no limit to the power of an alternative break experience.

1-STRONG DIRECT SERVICE: Programs provide an opportunity for participants to engage in direct or "hands-on" service that addresses critical but unmet social needs.  

2-ORIENTATION: Participants are oriented to the mission and objectives of both the break program and the host agency or organization with which they will be working.  

3-EDUCATION: Programs establish and achieve educational objectives to give participants a sense of context and understanding of both the region in which they will be working and of the problems they will be addressing during the break.  

4-TRAINING: Participants are provided with adequate training in skills necessary to carry out tasks and projects during the trip. Ideally this training should take place prior to departure, although in some instances it may occur once participants have reached their site.

5-REFLECTION: During the trip, participants reflect upon the experiences they are having. Applying classroom learning and integrating many academic disciplines should also occur. The site leaders should set aside time for reflection to take place, both individually and in a group setting.

6-REORIENTATION: Upon return to campus, there should be a re-orientation session for all participants where they can share their break experiences with one another and with the greater campus community and are actively encouraged to translate this experience into a life-long commitment to service.

7-DIVERSITY: Strong alternative break programs include participants representing the range of students present in the campus community. Coordinators should recruit, design, implement and evaluate their program with this end in mind.

8-ALCOHOL & OTHER DRUG FREE: Programs must be aware that issues of legality, liability, personal safety and group cohesion are of concern when alcohol and other drugs are consumed on an alternative break. Programs should provide education and training on alcohol and other drug related issues as well as develop a policy on how these issues will be dealt with on an alternative break.