Positions are still open for Atlanta, San Francisco, and New Jersey. Other trips will be accepting applicants for waitlist positions, in case a current participant is unable to attend.
Apply Here!
Email altbreak@colorado.edu with any questions!
Spring 2013
HUMAN RIGHTS: San Diego, California
Agency : Casa Familiar
In 1994 the US government began building a wall between the US and Mexico, calling it operation Gate Keeper, causing the number of yearly border crossing deaths to double from 1995, steadily increasing thereafter. This surprising statistic is mainly due to migrants being exposed to vicious conditions as they are forced to stop at nothing, and face horrors unimaginable in order to cross the border to find refuge from the lives they left behind. What the U.S. government fails to recognize is that these people are just that, humans who deserve basic human rights, regardless of their origin. In the upcoming Spring, Alternative Breaks will be offering a trip where participants will be given the opportunity to stand up for human rights, and help to save many lives who would otherwise fall victim to exposure (including heat stroke, dehydration, and hyperthermia) with an organization called Casa Familiar.
Join us for an excellent road trip (full of bonding) to beautiful, sunny, San Diego, California where we’ll work hard, and have fun volunteering to save lives and change the world!
URBAN POVERTY: Cincinnati, Ohio
Agency: Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless
The Alternative Spring Break trip with the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a phenomenal trip! Participants are provided with a wide arrange of speakers (homeless persons, activists, police officers, etc...) and activities to learn from, as well as eye-opening service opportunities at homeless shelters, urban gardens, and innovative for-profit businesses designed to help those with financial hardship and the homeless begin careers. Over the Rhine (OTR) is such a great location for this trip because of its long and interesting history, its character, and its political pertinence to broader societal patterns. Volunteers are put up in a narrow, 3-story building right at the edge of Washington Park in OTR where nearly everything is walking distance.
Price: $585 Trip Leaders: Erin Klein and Bintou Diallo
NUTRITION & WELLNESS: San Francisco, California
Agency : GLIDE
A trip designed to address the multifaceted issues of nutrition and wellness, the CU Students for Nutrition and Wellness in San Francisco trip will explore various issues surrounding the access to healthy food in a city setting where these issues are most amplified. This trip involves volunteering at Glide Memorial Church of San Francisco, an organization that serves 3 nutritious meals a day for 364 days, as well as volunteering with the San Francisco and Marin Food Bank. Although the focus of this trip is nutrition and wellness, CU student participants will get first hand experience in exploring related issues such as homelessness, poverty, economic downturn, etc. This trip is meant to be FUN and educational, as well as adventurous. Students will learn about issues that affect many Americans today during the daytime and explore a new, mysterious, and bizarre city at night while making friends of a lifetime.
Price: $490 Trip Leaders: Tsion Zergaw & Marie McDonnell
YOUTH ADVOCACY: Atlanta, Georgia
Agency : Medici Project
Come one come all, Atlanta Georgia is calling! Join us on an adventure centered on youth advocacy in Atlanta, where we will be spending time and building relationships with urban youth through a program called the Medici Project. Learn about urban poverty and experience the city first hand while participating in activities such as tutoring, play-days with the kids, random acts of kindness, recreational activities and more. We will be working in an area where 50% of the youth will not finish high school and the average household income is just under $11,000 a year, less than 1/3 of the national average. We will also visit the Martin Luther King Memorial Center, hear from speakers who know the issues related to poverty, and hike Stone Mountain. Housing is provided by Medici project and included in the price. If you are a major in education or just love working with kids and want an opportunity to learn, grow, and build meaningful relationships this trip is for you!
Price: $635 Trip Leaders: Glen Purdum and Nicollete Laroco
DISASTER RELIEF--HURRICANE SANDY: New York/New Jersey*
Agency: Community Collaborations International
http://www.communitycollaborations.org/
In late October, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record swept through the east coast. In the wake of this devastating storm, Alternative Breaks is pairing up with Community Collaborations International to provide some relief for those affected. Together, we will adventure out to the New York/New Jersey area where we will be provided food, housing, and all necessary tools by CC International. Due to the recent occurence of this event, exact trip details are not entirely established, so we ask that you stay flexible. Want to see what you can do for all of our families and friends back east? Please join us on this once-in-a-lifetime experience to respond at the forefront of a natural disaster!
Price: $560 Trip Leaders: Mary Hains & Lindsey Cella
*This trip was added in response to the disaster of Hurricane Sandy. Specifics of the trip have not fully been confirmed. We will post more information as it becomes available.
REBUILDING COMMUNITY--HOMES: New Orleans, Louisiana
Agency: Common Ground
http://www.commongroundrelief.org
The New Orleans Rebuilding Community group will be traveling to New Orleans. We will be working with Lower Nine and helping to rebuild some homes that were lost due to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Isaac. Before the trip, you will learn about one of the greatest natural disasters and then through the trip, will provide hands on service.
Common Ground Relief's mission is to provide short term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the Gulf Coast region, and long term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area.
We are a community-initiated volunteer organization offering assistance, mutual aid and support. This work gives hope to communities by working with them, providing for their immediate needs and emphasizes people working together to rebuild their lives in sustainable ways.
Price: $410 Trip Leaders: Kathryn Quinn and Maxwell Roland
REBUILDING COMMUNITY--EDUCATION: New Orleans, Louisiana
Agency: Community Collaborations International
http://www.communitycollaborations.org/earlyeducation
The early childhood education trip to New Orleans combines the cultural experience of the French Quarter with an amazing volunteer opportunity. During this trip participants will have the opportunity to work with preschool students that require special attention, ages 2-5. After the school day is over, participants can relax and immerse themselves in the rich cultural experience that New Orleans has to offer.
Price:$480 Trip Leaders: John Cortner & Stephanie Barker
YOUTH EDUCATION: Boulder Creek, California
Agency: YMCA Camp Campbell
www.ymcasv.org/ymcacampcampbell
Come with us to Boulder Creek, CA! Located in the redwoods forest, Boulder Creeks hosts Camp Campbell; a YMCA Camp for students from San Jose, CA. Students at Camp Campbell learn about science and nature by using what is right in front of them: the outdoors! Participants on this trip will be the camp counselors for a group of 5th grade students for their 4 day, 3 night stay. So if you love kids and love the outdoors, Boulder Creek is the trip for you!
Price: $360 Trip Leaders: Alice Hearn and Austin Smith
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: Yosemite Valley National Park, California
Agency: Bureau of Land Management
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/mercedriverrec.html
Join us in spending your spring break in Yosemite National Park, learning about and working on environmental conservation! Working with the Bureau of Land Management on the Merced River, students will trail build in the national park, as well as work on maintenance on the Merced River. We will be staying in the Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort, in a separate dorm, only a few miles away from the Valley itself. Be prepared to work hard in one of the most beautiful national parks!
Price: $450 Trip Leaders: Sarah Gilchriese and Lindsay Jones
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: Moab, Utah
Agency: Plateau Restoration, Inc.
http://www.plateaurestoration.org
This year we are excited to lead a trip to Moab, Utah to partner with the nonprofit organization Plateau Restoration, Inc. Most days will be spent working on projects pertaining to habitat restoration, re-vegetation, erosion control, and exotic species removal. Not only will we be restoring this beautiful land, we will be living and breathing in one of the world’s most stunning landscapes. It is a perfect balance—hard, yet rewarding work and being surrounded by beautiful scenery. We'll also spend a day rafting on the Colorado River or hiking through Arches National Park. If you love the outdoors, want to make a difference, and would love to escape the city for your spring break, this is a wonderful opportunity to make an impact while also taking a huge leap in your personal growth. Participants should be comfortable camping, doing manual labor, and getting dirty!
Price: $450 Trip Leaders: Jon Hill and Brett Blumberg
