Correction appended
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of AU’s Alternative Break program, the Center for Community Engagement & Service will host events to showcase the experiences of Alternative Break alumni and promote the program on campus this week.
“I believe every year is significant,” Shoshana Sumka, AU’s assistant director of global learning and leadership said. “But we have never really sat down and reflected and thought about what we have accomplished over [the past] 15 years.”
AU’s Alternative Break program is a member of a national nonprofit organization called Break Away, which has more than 100 participating schools and over 400 nonprofit partners, according to its website. Students travel all over the world to solve problems and engage with local communities all over the world, covering political, social and environmental issues.facing the areas.
Sumka invited the 1,600 Alternative Break alumni back to campus to participate in events throughout the week, culminating with a reception.
In 1998, the Alternative Break program began as a student club in response to Hurricane Mitch in Honduras. Students organized the first alternative break trip to contribute to the relief effort, Sumka said. The program finally expanded in 2005 when the Center for Community Engagement & Service took over.
This year there are 15 student-led Alternative Break trips planned, with roughly 200 participants and 30 student leaders.
As the program continues to grow, Sumka said the program will aim for quality over quantity. The program is essentially at maximum size, so now the focus is ensuring that alternative breaks have a positive impact in their respective communities.
Nellie Mitchell, a senior in the School of International Service, is a student coordinator for the alternative break program this year. However, she first became involved with the program when she participated in the trip to Guatemala in 2012.
“That experience has definitely shaped my time here at AU,” Mitchell said in an email. “The goal of alt break trips is to form active citizens and we are always looking to expand.”
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Correction: A former version of this story misidentified AU’s Alternative Break program as a national organization instead of as a member of the national organization called Break Away.
