Alternative Breaks
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
