Alternative Breaks Program

What are Alternative Breaks?

Alternative Breaks are trips where college students participate in service opportunities during their fall or spring breaks. Each destination in this student-organized program highlights a particular social justice issue that students spend time exploring and learning about long before the trip itself. Nearly 200 Xavier students participate in Alternative Breaks each year. Some visit the coast of California to help conserve an important ecosystem, others refurbish homes for refugees in Boise, Idaho. Find more details about the 2021-22 Alternative Breaks trips, including destinations, application links and FAQs.

A group of Xavier students beside a park sign on Santa Catalina Island in California

Topics and Destinations for Trips

Alternative Break topics and destinations change from year to year. Past destinations have included Selma, AL, Detroit, MI, El Paso, TX, Denver, CO, Chicago, IL, and San Salvador, El Salvador. Past topics have covered civil rights, homelessness, mountaintop removal, preserving ecosystems and food insecurity.

This Year’s Topics

A group of Xavier students smiling on campus

Apply for an Alternative Breaks Trip

First-year students, sophomores, juniors and seniors are welcome to apply to attend a Xavier Alternative Breaks trip or to apply to become a site leader. Applications for spring break trips are typically accepted from early September to January.

Alternative Breaks Application

A student working in a garden during an Alternative Breaks trip

Donate to Xavier Alternative Breaks

Thousands of Xavier students have participated in Alternative Breaks programs since it was first organized in 2000. Xavier alumni, friends and family can help keep the tradition alive through supporting our students as they live lives of leadership, service and achievement.

Donate Here

Xavier students packing food during an Alternative Breaks trip

Alternative Breaks FAQs

Interested in participating in an Alternative Breaks trip as a student, professor or staff member? Find more information about the Alternative Breaks program at Xavier by reading through our FAQs.

View Frequently Asked Questions

Alternative Break Statistics

Alternative Breaks helps to create a world of active citizens by immersing individuals in education, service, and reflection of various social justice issues facing the world today.

19 Destinations

23 Years of AB at Xavier

200+ Students in 2019