Achiote, Panama The oldest of the international alternative break trips, participants will work with a local community center focusing on environmental conservation and ecotourism. The group will experience the culture and customs of Panama while assisting a local organization (CEASPA) with construction and environmental projects. Previous participants have helped build a museum, done trail work, and have enjoyed getting familiar with the citizens, customs, and animals in the small village of Achiote. This is a flying trip and is perfect if you truly want to experience another culture and work with your hands!

 

Atlanta, Georgia Partnering with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), this trip focuses on providing opportunities for refugees to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of refugees are invited by the U.S. government to seek safety and freedom.  Forced to flee conflict or persecution, many have survived for years against incredible odds. They step off the plane with next to nothing but their dignity, hope and determination.  In Atlanta and many other regional offices across the country, the IRC helps them rebuild their lives. This is a new, flying trip.

 

Boulder Creek, California Beautiful Boulder Creek is home to YMCA Camp Campbell, a quirky, cool outdoor education camp set within the heart of the Redwood forest. Participants will serve as cabin counselors to a group of fifth and sixth grade students from schools all over Northern California. As counselors, alternative breakers will partake in nature hikes, camp songs and activities, and overall engagement in outdoor youth education. Banana slugs and compost included! This is a spring flying trip specifically for 2^nd year students at CSU. This trip is planned in collaboration with Orientation and Transition Programs at CSU.

 

Catalina, California This trip focuses on environmental issues and is the longest standing partnership with Alternative Break Trips at CSU (14 year history!). Participants stay in Catalina Island Camps, on Catalina Island, which is located southwest of Los Angeles (beautiful!) and participate in numerous environmental projects including trail building/repair, environmental education projects, and landscaping. In addition to volunteer work, participants will also have the opportunity to experience a ropes course and snorkeling on the island. This is a flying trip.

 

Charleston, South Carolina Travelers headed to Charleston will volunteer with Winwood Farm, a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic, residential treatment to abused and neglected boys. Volunteers will work with the boys and help to maintain the 100+ acres of the farm. This is a new, flying trip.

 

Chicago, Illinois The Chicago trip will feature volunteer work at the Brother David Darst Center for Justice, Peace, Spirituality, and Education. Participants will explore issues of justice and the reality of oppression through volunteer partnerships with local agencies such as the Chicago Food Depository, Su Casa, The Port, San Miguel Schools, and Chicago Youth Centers. This is a new, flying trip.

 

Eustis, Florida Travelers to Eustis will volunteer with Camp Boggy Creek, a camp dedicated to giving children with life threatening diseases the chance to experience a week of campfires, swimming holes and other traditional camp activities. S’mores anyone?  Volunteers will assist Boggy Creek staff by picking up families at the airport, helping out in the office, making blankets, life-guarding, working in the kitchen, and of course…playing with the kids! **All applicants must be at least 19 years of age and a member of the CSU Greek community. This is a spring flying trip.

 

Kanab, Utah The Kanab trip will feature volunteer work at the Best Friends Animal Society, the nation’s largest sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals. Best Friends operates a low cost spay/neuter program, sponsors a network of members in rescue, foster care and humane education programs with the goal of bringing about a time when there will be NO MORE HOMELESS PETS. Put your love for animals “in action” by pitching in to help walk dogs, cuddle cats, assist with agency mailings and much more. CSU participants will also have a “fun day” to explore majestic red rock country of Utah.   This is a driving trip for CSU. If you are a closeted “cat woman” or just really miss your dog at home, then this is the trip for you.

 

Kansas City, Missouri The Kansas City trip focuses on urban youth, poverty, and also explores issues of race in the United States. We partner with Operation Breakthrough, a non-profit organization that helps children who are living in poverty develop to their fullest potential by providing them a save, loving, and educational environment. Operation Breakthrough also strives to support and empower the children’s families through advocacy, referral services and emergency aid. In a nutshell, if you participate on this trip, you’ll get to hang out with some REALLY cute little kids! This is a driving trip.

 

Maryville, Tennessee Participants road tripping to Maryville will work with Once Upon a Time, an agency whose mission focuses on the Cherokee Nation and rural Appalachia, and preserving the incredibly rich natural environment in this world biosphere. Volunteers at this site will have the opportunity to do a huge variety of work including 1 day in the Snowbird Cherokee community, 1 day doing trail maintenance, 1/2 day working in the woodshop building wood duck or bluebird boxes, ½ day for a project at Sequoyah Museum, and 1 day on homesteading activities. In addition to service work, volunteers will have the opportunity to learn Cherokee stories, language, and beading, do a night hike, and tell “Mountain Man” stories around the bonfire. This will be CSU’s sixth year in Maryville.

 

Memphis, Tennessee Participants headed to Memphis will be volunteering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a premiere research and treatment facility aimed at advancing cures and prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases, and the Ronald McDonald House. Volunteers will coordinate and execute special events for the patents as well as work in the organic garden, which provides fresh food to the patients. This is a new, flying trip.

 

Moab, Utah The Moab trip will feature volunteer work with Plateau Restoration, a non-profit organization whose mission it is to “protect and restore of native habitats” of the Plateau through hands-on research, education, re-vegetation, and restoration.” Volunteers can expect awesome scenery, spirited presentations by experienced educators on natural history, geology, human history and resource issues, volunteer work removing invasive species, and a “fun day” exploring the wilderness. If you are the kind of person who loves the outdoors AND volunteering - this is the trip for you. This is a driving trip.

 

New Orleans, Louisiana The New Orleans trip will feature volunteer work with two agencies including the St. Bernard’s Battered Women’s Shelter and The Lower 9th Ward Village helping to promote the growth and empowerment of the community. The Village is a non-profit agency run by the community, for the community, that promotes self-sufficiency and an equitable quality of life. They provide services in a diverse range of projects, from home construction and repairs, to a free Legal clinic, and community gardening and farming. The tasks are solely based on the necessity of the community at that particular time. Volunteers will be doing a variety of construction and community oriented projects all while enjoying the spicy New Orleans culture and working with other volunteer groups from around the nation, as well as families affected by Katrina’s hardships. “It takes a village…” This is a flying trip.

 

New York City, New York Partnering with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the first and oldest organization in New York City committed to the fight against AIDS, this trip centers on HIV/AIDS. GMHC’s mission statement is “to reduce the spread of HIV disease, help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority. In fulfilling this mission, we will remain true to our heritage by fighting homophobia and affirming the individual dignity of all gay men and lesbians.” Participants on this trip can anticipate volunteering as a client library assistant, kitchen and pantry assistant and interacting with the diverse GMHC clients all in the great city that never sleeps! This is a flying trip.

 

Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota: The Pine Ridge Reservation trip revolves around building sustainability and cross cultural connections with the Lakota tribe of South Dakota. Collaborating with the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center, participants will learn how renewable energy can directly help entire communities across the Dakota region. Alternative breakers will also get the chance to experience Lakota traditions and gain insight into life on the Pine Ridge Reservation. This trip is all about helping communities sustain their natural resources through human connections. This is a new driving trip.

 

Seattle, Washington Collaborating with both the Somali Community Service Coalition (SCSC) and the University of Washington’s Dream Project, this trip draws focus to the multiple issues that lead youth to be labeled as ‘At Risk’. Seattle is home to the third largest Somali community in the United States and on this trip you will mentor/tutor Somali refugee youth and create activities to help esteem building through experiential learning. Through the Dream Project , we will help promote higher education and college-bound scholarships in local middle schools and work outreach programs to first generation and low-income high school students. ‘At Risk’ youth, be it their ethnicity or socio-economic status, are nearly twice as likely to get caught in the prison/detention system. This trip will include a dedicated day in which we will understand these youth and their placement in the judicial system. Fun activities will include Seattle’s infamous sightseeing, making new friends, and a chance to work with triple threat! This is a new trip, flying.

 

Tucson, Arizona The Arizona trip will focus on the topic of immigration with the hopes of facilitating a better understanding of current conflicts along the US-Mexico border. By partnering with both No More Deaths and Humane Borders, participants will gain insight into the perspective of an immigrant crossing the border. While promoting humanitarian projects such as water aid stations in the Arizona desert, students will get the opportunity to learn about immigration from observation, conversation, and solidarity with the surrounding community. Additionally, participants will learn more about the issue of immigration from a policy standpoint through our partnership with the Policy Center at Arizona State University. This is a driving trip.

 

 

Washington D.C. Beginning with the Student Homeless Challenge Project, students will get the chance to redefine their perspective on the meaning of the word “home”. After 48 hours of the homeless challenge, participants will volunteer at with Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), the nation's largest transitional homeless shelter, and other agencies in Washington D.C. that support individuals experiencing homelessness. By partnering with various agencies in the DC area, students will gain a better awareness of the many facets of homelessness in America. This is a flying trip.