Alternative Spring Breaks
What is an Alternative Spring Break (ASB)? An Alternative Break places teams of college students in communities to engage in community service and experiential learning during their summer, fall, winter or spring breaks. Students perform short-term projects for community agencies and learn about issues such as literacy, poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness, and the environment. The objectives of an Alternative Break program are to involve college students in community-based service projects and to give students opportunities to learn about the problems faced by members of communities with whom they otherwise may have had little or no direct contact.
2013 Alternative Spring Break Site Leader Information and Application
- Site Leader Application is accessed by proceeding through all three of the links below and completing the application on OWL-Space:
- ASB Site Leader Information
- ASB Site Leader Agreement (accessed through previous link)
- ASB Site Leader Application (accessed through previous link)
- Priority Application Deadline: 5:00pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
- Secondary Application Deadline: 5:00pm on Monday, September 10, 2012
- ASB Site Leader Information Sessions
Attend one of our upcoming Site Leader Information Sessions to learn more about the responsibilities and rewards of leading an Alternative Spring Break trip. Attendees will hear from Community Involvement Center staff members about the position, requirements, and application process, but also have a chance to meet with past ASB Site Leaders to hear about their experiences.
- Wednesday, April 4, 2012 - 12:00-1:00pm - Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Conference Room
- Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 4:00-5:00pm - Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Conference Room
- Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - 4:00-5:00pm - Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Conference Room
2013 Faculty/Staff Participant Information
- Are you a faculty or staff member at Rice University that wants to
learn more about or become involved in an Alternative Spring Break trip? Attend one or both of the sessions below to learn more about the program.
- Faculty/Staff Participant Information Session
- Learn the basics of the ASB program, the role of a faculty/staff
participant, and talk to past faculty/staff participants about their
experiences.
- Tuesday, October 16, 2012 - 12:00-1:30pm - Center for Civic Engagement Conference Room
Please RSVP to griswold@rice.edu by 5:00pm on Monday, October 15, 2012.
- Faculty/Staff Meet & Greet
- Meet the Site Leaders that will be running the 2013 Alternative
Spring Break trips, learn about the scheduled trips, and have a chance
to talk one-on-one with the students that will be selecting
faculty/staff participants. Faculty/staff participants are chosen in the same selection process as student participants, but this event allows Site Leaders and faculty/staff applicants an opportunity to discuss the trips more in depth.
- Thursday, October 18, 2012 - 12:00-1:30pm - Ley Student Center - Farnsworth Pavilion
Please RSVP to griswold@rice.edu by 5:00pm on Monday, October 15, 2012.
2013 Student Participant Information Sessions
- Understand the goals and requirements of the ASB program, meet the Site Leaders, hear about the planned trips, and learn how to apply for the 2013 ASBs.
- Monday, October 15, 2012 - 4:00-5:30pm - Kyle Morrow Room - Fondren Library (3rd Floor)
- Tuesday, October 16, 2012 - 4:00-5:30pm - Kyle Morrow Room - Fondren Library (3rd Floor)
2012 ASB Trips and Participant Applications - 2013 locations to be posted at 5:00pm on Friday, October 12, 2012.
- Trip Locations
View 2012 Alternative Spring Break Locations in a larger map
- Trip Descriptions
Reclaiming Identities: The Fight Against Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence - Dallas, TX
Interfaith Advocacy: Exploring Our Source of Passion for Social Change - Houston, TX
Bringing Home the Lost Girls: The Fight Against Houston Trafficking - Houston, TX
Recovering Lives: Assisting the Rebuilding of Joplin, Missouri - Joplin, MO
Planting Seeds of Knowledge with Teach for America - Jackson, LA
Let the Sun Shine: Healthy Living in Florida - Jacksonville, FL
Habitat for Humanity: Building More Than a House - Lake Charles, LA
Creating a New Life for the Community in Cajun Country - Lafayette, LA
Jersey Girls and Guys: Breaking the Stereotypes - Oakhurst, NJ
Hungry for Change: HIV/AIDS and Homelessness in San Francisco - San Francisco, CA
Making it Second Nature: Fusing Environmental Sensitivity with Hands-On Science Education - Boulder Creek, CA
The Mile High Mission: Overcoming Disability - Winter Park and Littleton, CO
- Application Process - The 2013 participant application will be posted at 5:00pm on Friday, October 12, 2012.
- Follow these instructions to join as a member of the OWL-Space collaborative site:
- Go to OWL-Space (https://owlspace-ccm.rice.edu).
- Click on "LOG-IN using NetID" and enter your credentials.
- Click on the "Membership" tab in the left margin.
- Click on the "Joinable Sites" link next to "My Current Sites" header.
- Under the "Worksite" list, find the title "ASB '13" and click on the link "Join" located just below it.
- Click on the newly formed tab (ASB '13), located next to the "My Workspace" tab at the top of the page.
- Once you have been added as a member, you will have access to the application, which is under the "Tests & Quizzes" tab on the left sidebar. You may save your progress at any time during the application process and return to complete it any time before the deadline.
- Complete the application before 5:00pm on Monday, October 29, 2012.