Alternative Breaks
Travel | Learn | Serve
About Alternative Break Trips
Alternative break trips are a great opportunity to experience a different community and explore social justice topics through service within those communities. While you travel, you and your group will complete service, learn, live simply, and get to know your fellow travelers and host community. Alternative break trips are led by a small team of student site leaders and staff learning partners to help students engage meaningfully over their academic breaks.
This is a great program for those who want to engage more with social justice, pave the path towards inclusivity and active citizenship, and eventually create more positive change in the world.
Upcoming Events
Spring 2023 Trip Applications are now open!
Apply to join us for a trip over Spring Break (March 12-18, 2023) or after Finals (May 14-20, 2023)! Read the sections under How to Join below for more information on our specific trips, the application deadlines, and how to apply.
How to Join
Student Staff Application Details
Want to be part of a national movement, gain transferable skills, have your Alt Break cost covered, and make awesome friends and connections at UNLV? Then consider applying to be an Alternative Break Site Leader!
To learn more about the role and responsibilities of the position please go over our Site Leader Info Packet.
In a typical school year site leader applications open in March, interviews are conducted in April, and selection is notified in May. Depending on the application pool we may reopen applications in the summer to get more students involved in the program!
Positions are generally filled by the end of September, but feel free to check us out on social media (@UNLVSLL) or visit our website to see if we’re still hiring!
Got any more questions? Email altbreaks@unlv.edu
Trip Participant Application Details
Participant Commitments
When you apply for an Alternative Break and make your deposit, you commit to attend all pre-trip meetings, participate fully in your trip, engage meaningfully with your peers, display an openness to learning, and expand your comfort zone. (The only exception to the aforementioned would be a conflicting class during any of our events.)
How to Apply
The application itself is relatively simple, but we do suggest that students hold about 20 minutes to complete it. In the application, you'll be asked questions regarding your trip interest, what you hope to gain from the experience, and your anticipated group contributions based on your experiences and knowledge. You’ll also let us know if you’re interested in more than one trip (so that we can place you into one of your other choices in case a trip fills) and share some basic personal information.
Please note that in order to complete your application you must also submit your deposit ($50 for Alternative Break trips).
Spring Break
Complete the Spring Break Trip Application by 11:59 pm on Thursday, February 23.
Applications for these trips are now closed.
Trips run March 12-18, 2023, and available topics include:
- Immigration at the US/Mexico Border in San Diego, CA
- Food Sovereignty in Portland, OR
- Disability Justice in San Francisco, CA [POSTPONED - Please check back next year]
- Mass Incarceration & Community Development in Los Angeles, CA
Post-Finals
Complete the May Trip Application by 9 am on Monday, April 17.
Applications for these trips are now closed.
Trips run May 14-20, 2023, and available topics include:
- Ecology on Catalina Island, CA
- Advancing Sexual & Reproductive Health in San Francisco, CA
- Refugees & Resettlement in Chicago, IL [POSTPONED - Please check back next year]
Cost Details
Trip costs can vary from $50-100 for weekend trips, $100-250 for week-long trips, $300-500 for flight-based trips. The fee for our trips during spring 2023 will be $150 each (excluding flight costs for flight-based trips).
Trip fees cover lodging, meals, volunteer fees, group activities for the week, and group transportation (excluding airfare for flight-based trips; for flight-based trips, participants are responsible for paying the cost of their flights to and from their respective destinations in addition to their trip cost).
Payments are submitted online within the trip application via KX.
Travel subsidies are available for students who demonstrate need; applications for travel subsidies can be found within the trip application.
Core Values
At Alternative Breaks we build our trips around five core values that help to make our trips a unique experience for all students:
- Simplicity - “Freedom from complexity, absence of luxury or pretentiousness.”
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To plan affordable trips that align with our social justice emphasis, we strive to promote simple accommodations, shared meals, and collective processes rather than your typical vacation getaway.
- Community - “A feeling of fellowship with others.”
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Local communities and nonprofits are important partners in our trips. We take time to learn, coming in as guests and we take time to bond with our group during both service and recreation time.
- Solidarity - “Unity or agreement of feeling or action, mutual support within a group.”
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We strive to serve with, not “to” or “for” others. Our nonprofit partners are curated as doing good, long-standing and reciprocal work within their communities in the hopes of promoting positive social change.
- Justice - “Seeking equity in the distribution of opportunities and privileges within a society.”
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We seek to be intentional about the potential impacts of our service, to understand structural inequity, and to explore how we can work for social change. This process can be slow and challenging; but also rich and empowering.
- Continuation - “The process of carrying something on over a period of time, the state of remaining in motion.”
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Our goal is for participants to integrate this experience into life after the trip to continue serving, learning, and working for social change. Our R&R (Re-Orientation and Reflection) event offers participants the chance to celebrate, reflect, and re-engage with their trip!
Trip Topics
For the 2022-2023 academic year, we are currently planning week-long trips for Spring Break (March 12-18, 2023) and Post-Finals (May 14-20, 2023). While not feasible this year, it is our hope to bring back fall and weekend trips in future years.
The below list of trips and descriptions constitute our current intended trips for spring semester 2023. Please note that all trips are subject to change and we will do our best to provide up to date information when possible.
Spring Break
Topic: Immigration at the U.S./Mexico Border
Location: San Diego, CA
Cost: $150
Spend the week serving and learning about immigration at the US-Mexico border. Community engagement activities may include service projects such as desert water drops, speaking with day laborers, and visiting Chicano Park. Please note: The service projects on this trip may include a border checkpoint and identification check.
Topic: Food Sovereignty
Location: Portland. OR
Cost: $150 + Cost of flights
Learn about food sovereignty - a set of food production and distribution practices that gives power back to local communities. Work with farmers and advocacy groups to better understand the health and economic justice that arises from these practices. Service activities may involve manual labor such as weeding or planting.
Topic: Disability Justice [POSTPONED - Please check back next year]
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost: $150 + Cost of flights
On this trip students will learn about the current state disability rights in the U.S and its connection to social policies and lived experiences. Participants will learn from community-based nonprofit organizations about strategies to help advance progress within this intersectional topic.
Topic: Mass Incarceration & Community Development
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $150
Learn about the root causes of mass incarceration in the U.S. and its connection to social policies and identities; explore community-based nonprofit organizations to learn strategies to help defeat the prison pipeline system.
Post-Finals
Topic: Ecology
Location: Catalina Island, CA
Cost: $150
This ecology-themed trip partners with the Catalina Island Conservancy, and activities may include: landscaping, weeding, painting and restoration, invasive plant removal, and trash pickup on the beach. We will stay at a campsite that has bathrooms, outdoor showers, and a partial kitchen.
Topic: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health
Location: San Francisco, CA
Cost: $150
During the week, we will be serving with local non-profits and learning about sexual and reproductive health. We will recognize intersectionality by exploring these issues through a variety of lenses, including: socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender identity and expression.
Topic: Refugees & Resettlement [POSTPONED - Please check back next year]
Location: Chicago, IL
Cost: $150 + Cost of flights
On this trip, students will learn about the struggles refugee immigrants face in coming to the U.S with the expected goal being to raise awareness, challenge perceptions and encourage behavioral change through the transformative urban immersion program the Br. Darst Center provides.
Schedule
Curious about what to expect on your Alternative Break? See our sample schedules below!
Weekend Trip Sample Schedule
Alternative Break to Santa Monica (Fire Ecology & Human Impact)
Friday, November 8th
- 9 a.m.: Meet on Campus
- 9:30 a.m.: Depart
- 12 p.m.: Lunch en route
- 3 p.m.: Total travel time - 4 hours, 40 mins
- 3:30 p.m.: Arrive at Airbnb, unpack, settle
- 4:30 p.m.: Travel to grocery store
- 5 p.m.: Grocery shopping
- 6 p.m.: Travel back to Airbnb
- 6:30 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 7 p.m.: Dinner
- 8 p.m.: Clean-up
- 8:30 p.m.: Reflection
- 9:30 p.m.: Free time
Saturday, November 9th
- 6 a.m.: Breakfast - pack lunch
- 7 a.m.: Clean up & load out
- 7:30 a.m.: Travel to SMMNRA (25 minutes)
- 8 a.m.: Volunteer doing restoration work (native plant watering and invasive species weeding) with Joey Algiers
- 8:30 a.m.: Rancho Sierra Vista 4121 Potrero Rd, Newbury Park, CA 91320
- 12 p.m.: Lunch Break
- 12:30 p.m.: Hike & exploration around the Satwiwa Native American Cultural Center
- 4 p.m.: Travel back to Airbnb (25 minutes)
- 4:30 p.m.: Down time + dinner prep
- 6:30 p.m.: Clean-up
- 7 p.m.: Reflection
- 8:30 p.m.: Free time
Sunday, November 10th
- 6 a.m.: Breakfast + pack lunch
- 7 a.m.: Clean up & load out
- 7:30 a.m.: Travel to Channel Islands National Park Vistor Center (54 minutes)
- 8 a.m.: The Robert J. Lagomarsino Vistor Center - 1901 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura, CA 93001
- 8:30 a.m.: Collaborate with the Center + volunteer doing a mini beach clean up with Roni
- 1 p.m.: Lunch break at King Gillette Ranch Visitor Center
- 1:30 p.m.: 26876 Mulholland Highway Calabasas, CA 91302
- 2:30 p.m.: Talk with Ranger Xoxhitl + Inspiration Point Trail Hike + potential exploration of the Visitor's Center
- 4:30 p.m.: Travel back to Airbnb (54 minutes)
- 5:30 p.m.: Down time + dinner prep
- 6:30 p.m.: Dinner
- 7:30 p.m.: Clean-up
- 8 p.m.: Reflection
- 9:30 p.m.: Free time
Monday, November 11th
- 7 a.m.: Breakfast + pack picnic lunch
- 7:30 a.m.: Final clean up + load out
- 8 a.m.: Travel
- 8:30 a.m.: Recreation Afternoon
- 9 a.m.: Go to the beach and shops then have lunch and get ice cream
- 11:30 a.m.: Have picnic lunch on the beach
- 12:30 p.m.: Depart
- 4:30 p.m.: Total travel time - 4 hours, 40 minutes
- 5 p.m.: Arrive to UNLV + unpack. Clean van & carry supplies back to the office
- 5:30 p.m.: Free to head home 15 minutes after return to campus
Weeklong Trip Sample Schedule
Alternative Break to San Francisco, CA (LGBTQIA+)
Sunday, March 15th
- 6 a.m.: Meet at UNLV
- 6:30 a.m.: Depart
- 7 a.m.: Travel to Bakersfield (4 hours, 18 minutes)
- 11 a.m.: Lunch stop in Bakersfield
- 12 p.m.: Travel to Waller Center (4 hours, 54 minutes)
- 5 p.m. Arrive at the Waller Center, unpack, settle
- 6 p.m.: Grocery shop
- 7 p.m.: Travel back to lodging (9 minutes)
- 7:30 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 8 p.m.: Dinner
- 9 p.m.: Clean-up
- 9:30 p.m.: Reflection
Monday, March 16th
- 8 a.m.: Breakfast + pack lunch
- 9 a.m.: Clean-up & load out
- 9:30 a.m.: Travel (18 minutes)
- 10 a.m.: Volunteering with GILDE's prep shift (10 a.m.-1 p.m.)
- 10:30 a.m.: Meat prep
- 1 p.m.: Lunch break
- 2 p.m.: Volunteering with GLIDE's dinner shift (2 p.m.-5 p.m.)
- 2:30 p.m.: Meat prep
- 5:30 p.m.: Travel back to lodging (20 minutes)
- 6 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 6:30 p.m.: Dinner
- 7:30 p.m.: Clean-up
- 8 p.m.: Reflection
- 9 p.m.: Free time
Tuesday, March 17th
- 8 a.m.: Breakfast + pack lunch
- 9 a.m.: Clean-up & load out
- 9:30 a.m.: Travel (15 minutes)
- 10 a.m.: Volunteering with GLIDE's prep shift (10 a.m.-1 p.m.)
- 10:30 a.m.: Meal prep
- 1 p.m.: Lunch break
- 2 p.m.: Volunteering with GLIDE's dinner shift (2 p.m.-5 p.m.)
- 2:30 p.m.: Meat prep
- 5:30 p.m.: Travel back to lodging (20 minutes)
- 6 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 6:30 p.m.: Dinner
- 7:30 p.m.: Clean-up
- 8 p.m.: Reflection
- 9 p.m.: Free time
Wednesday, March 18th
- 8 a.m.: Breakfast
- 8:30 a.m.: No need to pack lunch
- 9 a.m.: Clean-up & load out
- 9:30 a.m.: Travel (6 minutes)
- 10 a.m.: Volunteering + learning with the Maitri (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
- 10:30 a.m.: Tour + presentation on goals & mission of the Maitri
- 1 p.m.: Lunch (provided by the Maitri)
- 1:30 p.m. Brainstorm, design, and partially implement "welcome packages" for new residents
- 4 p.m.: Travel back to lodging (6 minutes)
- 4:30 p.m.: Free time
- 5:30 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 6 p.m.: Dinner
- 7 p.m.: Clean-up
- 7:30 p.m.: Reflection
- 8:30 p.m.: Free time
Thursday, March 19th
- 8 a.m.: Breakfast + pack lunch
- 9 a.m.: Clean-up & load out
- 9:30 a.m.: Travel (6 minutes)
- 10 a.m.: Tour + learning experience with the National AIDS Memorial Grove (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
- 10:30 a.m.: Tour of the memorial grounds + Historical AIDS Memorial Quilt **Leave nothing visible in the car while serving with this site, please (no cords, bags, etc. bring lunch with you)
- 1 p.m.: Lunch break
- 2 p.m.: Presentation on the history of the Grove and how it came to be.
- 4 p.m.: Travel back to lodging (6 minutes)
- 4:30 p.m.: Free time
- 5:30 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 6 p.m.: Dinner
- 7:30 p.m.: Clean-up
- 8 p.m.: Reflection
- 9 p.m.: Free time
Friday, March 20th
- 7:30 a.m.: Breakfast + pack lunch
- 8:30 a.m.: Clean-up & load out
- 9 a.m.: Travel
- 9:30 a.m.: Optional tour of the GLBT Museum
- 10 a.m.: Recreation day
- 10:30 a.m.: Visit the Golden Gate Bridge + check out the history of the Presidio, and visit the Rose Garden
- 12 p.m.: Picnic lunch at Crissy Fields Beach
- 1 p.m.: Visit the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square, Lombard St. The Mission District, and The Castro
- 3 p.m.: Stop for ice cream at the Ice Cream Bar near the Waller Center
- 3:30 p.m.: Travel back to lodging
- 4 p.m.: Free time
- 5:30 p.m.: Dinner prep
- 6 p.m.: Dinner
- 7 p.m.: Clean-up
- 7:30 p.m.: Refleciton
- 8:30 p.m.: Free time
Saturday, March 21th
- 6 a.m.: Breakfast + pack lunch
- 7 a.m.: Final clean-up & head out
- 7:30 a.m.: Depart
- 8 p.m.: Travel to Bakersfield (4 hours, 54 minutes)
- 12:30 p.m.: Lunch stop in Bakersfield
- 1:30 p.m.: Travel back to Vegas (4 hours, 18 minutes)
- 6 p.m.: Students are free to head home 15 minutes after return to campus to help unpack, clean the van, and carry supplies back to the office
Zoom-in Sample Schedule
Mass Incarceration & Community Development Zoom-In
Sunday, March 14th
- 2:30 p.m.: Group time (3 p.m.-5 p.m.)
- 2:45 p.m.: Community Building & Framing
- 3 p.m.: Community Agreements
- 3:15 p.m.: Reminders *Canvas Modules
Monday, March 15th
- 10 a.m.: Welcome, Check-In, Teambuilder (10-10:30 a.m.)
- 10:45 a.m.: Group Time (10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.)
- 11 a.m.: Social Identity Convos
- 11:15 a.m.: EOT
- 12:15 p.m.: Lunch Break (12-1 p.m.)
- 1:15 p.m.: Group Time (1-2:15 p.m.)
- 1:30 p.m.: Service
- 2:15 p.m.: Break (2:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.)
- 2:45 p.m.: Group Time (2:30 p.m.- 4 p.m.)
- 3 p.m.: Social Justice
- 3:15 p.m.: Antiracism
Tuesday, March 16th
- 10 a.m.: Welcome, Check-In, Teambuilder (10-10:30 a.m.)
- 10:30 a.m.: Break (10:30-10:45 a.m.)
- 11 a.m.: Guest Speaker (10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.)
- 11:15 a.m.: Non-Profit
- 12:15 p.m.: Lunch break (12 p.m.-1 p.m.)
- 1:15 p.m.: Group Time (1-2 p.m.)
- 1:30 p.m.: Continuation
- 1:45 p.m.: Continuum & Goalsetting
- 2:15 p.m.: Break (2:15-2:30 p.m.)
- 2:45 p.m.: Assessment & Thanks-you's
- 3:15 p.m.: Group Time (3-4 p.m.)
- 3:30 p.m.: Creative Closing Activity
Why Join?
Everyone joins for their own reasons. Some people want to connect with other students, build their resume, learn about a new topic, serve in a meaningful way, or translate their classroom learning into a new environment. Whatever your reasons are, we hope you’ll consider deepening your social justice learning, working for positive social change, laughing with others, and finding your connection. Discover your reasons for joining! If you want more information, join one of our info sessions or contact us to see if this experience fits you.
"I enjoyed hearing everyone's individuality and how that intersects in people's lives. Loved growing and sharing a beautiful trip with beautiful people."
-Trip participant, 2018
"I enjoyed that they made us think about what we did that day. Reflections also served as an opportunity to help us decompress and really understand what we witnessed that day."
Newsletter
Join our newsletter to get information and reminders about upcoming Alt Break, Service, and Leadership opportunities!
After you enter your information, you will receive a confirmation email to finish the subscription process. Be sure to click confirm! Emails go out every Friday.
Additional Information
Feel free to email us at altbreaks@unlv.edu with any questions or concerns. You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook at @UNLVSLL to get daily updates, engage with the SLL office at different events, and learn what to expect next from Alternative Breaks!