Alternative Breaks

The Center for Student Engagement & Leadership sponsors Alternative Break experiences. An Alternative Break (AB) is a week-long or weekend immersive service experience. A group of students travel away from campus with the goal of engaging within a new community through education, service, and reflection. Each trip integrates service, reflection and education and focuses on various social issues such as racial justice, environmental justice, housing, healthcare, poverty, etc. By forgoing traditional academic breaks, students have the opportunity to participate in quality, community-based transformational service and dedicate their time to learning and interacting with different communities.

Got Questions?

Contact Emily Harris
Assistant Director of Leadership and Community Engagement

Virtual Information Sessions

Important AB Dates

All Applications Open:
August 11, 2025
Fall Stay-Break Application Closes:
October 26, 2025
Spring Break Application Closes:
January 16, 2026
Trip Leader Application Due:
October 17, 2025

2025 - 2026 Trips

Fall Stay-Break:
November 21-23, 2025

Spring Break Trip:
March 8-14, 2026

2025-2026 Alternative Break Application

Transcript

Sustainable Development Goals

Each Alternative Break focuses on a specific subsection of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aligning our efforts with global initiatives for positive change. For more information, please check out the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs website.

Participants & Trip Leaders

Participants

As a participant you can expect to develop your skills in a number of ways including:

Communication skills
Followership skills: how to be a good team member
Relationship development and collaboration with trip participants and community members
Adaptability
Time management
Collaboration

Trip Leaders

Trip Leaders (TL) are one of the most crucial pieces of the AB program. AB takes pride in our TLs and the rich experience they bring to this para-professional role of the program. TLs take an active role in educating and leading peers through a service experience focused on a social issue they are passionate about.

Trip Leaders are held to a high standard and adhere to the expectations of the AB program as a whole. These expectations include:

Cooperation with the Alternative Breaks Coordinator, co-site leader, and other site leaders.
Remain flexible, open-minded, and responsible.
Educate yourself and participants about the issue relative to your site.
Build and maintain a positive relationship with the designated site and selected AB participants on your break.
Commitment to the Alternative Break “no drugs or alcohol” policy

Trip Leader Application

FAQs

What makes these trips “alternative”?

Alternative breaks are just that- an alternative to your academic breaks. The breaks give students an opportunity to meet new people, learn new things and to step away from all the hustle and bustle of normal life. Alternative Breaks trips are entirely drug and alcohol-free, thus providing an “alternative” option to traditional spring break and weekend activities.

How do I apply?

All applications are to be submitted online through UNG Connect. You may want to type your essay answers into a separate document and paste them into the online form. Please ensure that you answer all questions thoroughly as there is a high interest in participating on these experiences. Please note that Trip Leader and regular Participant application may have different deadlines. Applications will be made available for the trips at the beginning of the academic year (fall semester).

Apply for the 2024 Alternative Break Experience

Are there any prerequisites for applying?

There is no prerequisite to apply, all enrolled UNG students on any campus may apply. Students may not participate if they are not an enrolled student at the time of the trip. We only ask that students interested have no active student conduct cases open to participate.

How many people are selected to go on each trip?

For most of our trips there is a maximum of ten (10) to twelve (12) people admitted. However, some pre-covid trips have been expanded participants size. Strong applicants who are not admitted to a trip will be placed on a waiting list and will be admitted on a space-available basis.

When will I know whether I have been accepted?

Participants will be notified within 1-2 weeks of the application deadline if they have or have not been selected. Students are not interviewed to be a part of the trip, so it is important for students wanting to participate to have a strong application.

How much does it cost to go on a trip?

Trips have varying costs based on housing, food, transportation, and programming supplies specific to each alternative break location and service. Previous trips have tended to stay around $50.

What does the payment cover?

Payment covers housing, food, transportation, and programming supplies. The only items that are not covered include meals during travel and any items that a person might purchase for their personal use i.e., a souvenir, any forgotten items such as a toothbrush etc.

What is the time commitment?

Groups will have 4-5 weekly meetings before their trip focus on their trip’s issues. These weekly meetings will be an opportunity for team-building, preparing for the trip, as well as learning about the focus of the trip. Following the trip, groups will meet a minimum of one time for a reorientation event.

Pre- and post- trip meetings are required as participants will be provided policy and procedure information regarding the trip and activities so that they can be prepared for the experience. If a student cannot attend one or more pre-trip meetings, they must arrange make-up meetings with the Trip Director to review material and information covered.

Do I have to be there for the entire trip?

Yes, participants are expected to be present for the entire duration of the trip.

Where do we typically stay?

The group may be housed in religious buildings, hotels, community centers, camps etc. Our program encourages simple living, which is the principle that students are encouraged to live a more simplistic lifestyle while on an AB to fully commit themselves to the experience.

AB Program History

During the 2017-2018 academic year, thanks to funding from the UNG Presidential Award Grant, the Alternative Service Break (ASB) program was created. The program started off as a co-curricular service-learning program that worked to expanded community engagement opportunities for students at the University of North Georgia. ASB educates students about social issues and communities in need through a hands-on, experiential learning opportunity with the goal of developing students into active citizens. To ensure the reciprocal benefit, the trip was intentionally designed to provide strong direct service, orientation to the social issue and site, education, training, reflection, reorientation, and diversity, while remaining alcohol and other drug free.

In the infancy of the program the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic started and ASB stopped formally hosting trips. The program was able to be restarted in the year 2023 under new advisory leadership and officially rebranded to Alternative Breaks (AB).

The revamped programmed added a greater emphasis on connecting student’s social identities to their service experiences and helping them better understanding underlying social issues and deepen their awareness of critical societal challenges.This included incorporating the UN Sustainable Development Goals into the program.

Past Trips

Spring Break 2024: Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation - Selma, Alabama
- SD Goal: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Spring Break 2023: Earth Kin (Once Upon a Time) - Walland, TN (Great Smoky Mountain)
- SD Goal: Life on Land
COVID-19 Break 2020 -2022
Spring Break 2019: Foxfire (Appalachian Culture Education) Clayton, GA
Spring Break 2018: Foxfire (Appalachian Culture Education) Clayton, GA
Spring Break 2017: Lula Lake Land Trust – Lookout Mountain, GA

Mission & Vision

Mission

The University of North Georgia Alternative Break program empowers students to engage in immersive service-learning experiences and foster a more equitable and inclusive society through education, reflection, and service. We create community-conscious and educated students who are committed to pursuing social issues and positive social change in diverse communities.

Vision

Our vision is to cultivate a community of socially conscious and educated students who collaborate to address critical social issues and contribute to a just and thriving global society. We strive to expand our collective identity as a multi-campus institution to unite our students in our on-going mission of creating meaningful and positive impact as community collaborators.