Alternative Breaks

Participants

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

• Be willing to serve with an openness to learning and addressing the community needs first.
• Represent the University of North Georgia, the Office of Student Involvement, and the Alternative Breaks program in a mature, responsible, and positive way at all times.
• Be open to processing, at your own comfort level, the Alternative Break experience individually and as a group through reflection.
• Attend Pre-Trip Meetings, the Alternative Breaks trip, and Reorientation. These meetings and trainings are provided to enhance student learning and ensure quality service experiences for participants and the community partners.
• Fully immerse yourself in the Alternative Breaks experience and participate in all aspects of the Alternative Breaks program, which includes service work, reflections, projects, meetings, and reading assignments, etc.
• Commitment to the Alternative Break “no drugs or alcohol” policy
• Be in good judicial standing and have no active student conduct cases at the University of North Georgia.

Trip Leaders

Trip Leaders (TLs) are one of the most crucial pieces of the Alternative Break (AB) program. As a student-led program, AB takes pride in our leaders and the rich experience they bring to this para-professional role of the program.

As a trip leader, you will take an active role in educating and leading peers through a service experience focused on a social issue that you are passionate about. 

TLs are held to a high standard and expected to:

• Adhere to all trip participant expectations and cooperate and collaborate with the Alternative Breaks Advisor, co-trip leader, and trip partners
• Meet regularly with the program advisor and co-trip leader (if applicable) to discuss and plan certain aspects of the trip.
• Remain flexible, open-minded, and responsible.
• Educate yourself and participants about the issue relative to your site and plan and execute all pre-trip meetings for trip participants.
• Build positives relationship with the designated site and select AB participants on your break.
• Commitment to the Alternative Break “no drugs or alcohol” policy
• Must be a sophomore (30 + credits) or higher
• 3.0 G.P.A. minimum
• Be in good judicial standing and have no active student conduct cases at the University of North Georgia.

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

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.