Alternative Breaks

Alt Break volunteers

Alt Break members at the Hudson River

Take the challenge. Break stereotypes. Do something. Dare to go outside your comfort zone.

About the Program

The Cornell Public Service Center (PSC) Alternative Breaks Program sends group of student volunteers to participate in an alcohol and drug-free, community-based service trips during their spring and winter breaks.

The mission of the Alternative Breaks program is to promote service-learning through direct public service with regional, national and international communities to heighten social awareness, enhance personal growth and advocate lifelong social action.

The program is intended to provide students with an opportunity to engage in reciprocal service-learning in communities with whom they otherwise may have had little or no direct contact with, and to learn about a variety of social issues, such as urban and rural poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness, the environment, domestic violence and juvenile delinquency. Students are immersed in culturally enriching experiences that challenge them to think critically about the social and environmental issues that shape our society.

The program has grown from one trip of 13 students who worked in Welch, West Virginia in 1989 to fifteen national and international trips in 2008, with approximately 150 students in the program.

Check out trip descriptions and info at our blog by visiting http://cuasb.wordpress.com/

Contact Us

Alternative Breaks
Cornell Public Service Center
200 Barnes Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-1601
Phone: 607-255-8851
Fax: 607-255-9550
Email: altbreaks@cornell.edu