The ABCs combine workshops and intensive planning sessions to help you develop an action plan for the 2021-2022 academic year and beyond. You can look forward to interactive workshops on social justice education and service-learning best practices, with processing time in a small group setting. The result is a dynamic conference combining learning in workshops with opportunities to foster connections with student + staff leaders from campuses nationwide.

Find information on registration, FAQs, and a sample schedule on Break Away’s website.

Part conference, part model alternative break, the ABCs combine workshops and planning sessions with an alternative break experience.

The result is a dynamic learning opportunity that underscores learning in workshops and fostering connection with student and staff leaders from campuses nationwide.

In light of coronavirus, we are forgoing our traditional four in-person conferences spread around the country and are excited about the opportunity to adapt to a virtual format. We will explore ways to continue service learning and alternative breaks through online experiences and hyperlocal service to ensure the safety of our communities.

Please join us on Zoom for the Virtual ABCs: Cultivating Active Antiracism in Response to Unjust Policing, July 27-29

Sparked by the recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and George Floyd by police, but informed by the deep history of white supremacy in the United States, people across the nation are protesting the injustices that Black people face. The policing of Black bodies in the US is woven throughout history. We’ll be tracing this oppression through the evolution of the criminal justice system —  from slavery to Jim Crow laws to the modern-day Prison Industrial Complex. At our two virtual ABCs this summer, participants will explore this history and craft a framework for antiracist action. We’ll be working with StoryCorps to practice our dialogue skills, giving participants the opportunity to plan a conversation with a family member or friend around the uprising for Black lives.

Learn more here: https://alternativebreaks.org/events/alternative-break-citizenship-schools-abcs/

The ABCs combine workshops, discussions, and planning sessions within an actual alternative break experience. Throughout the week, participants spend time engaging in direct service work and in small group sessions that focus on the details and best practices of alternative breaks.

The result is a dynamic experiential learning opportunity that encourages participants to synthesize knowledge and skills gained in workshops with inspiring and educational contact with community members and other student and staff leaders from college campuses nationwide.

Placemaking & Public Art in Evolving Spaces
June 3 – 8 | Atlanta, GA

The Hands That Rebuild: Workers’ Rights in the Wake of Disaster
June 17 – 22 | Houston, Texas

The Shifting Principles & Practices of Housing Policy
July 8 – 13 | Salt Lake City, Utah

America’s Best Idea: Common Ground in Uncommon Spaces
July 22-27 | Prince William Forest Park, Virginia

http://alternativebreaks.org/events/alternative-break-citizenship-schools-abcs/

The annual gathering of active citizens has begun! Join the Break Away staff and campus leaders from colleges and universities across the nation for a week that will enrich your alternative break program, expand your leadership potential, and determine the direction of the national Movement. Alternative Break Citizenship schools (ABCs) combine the intensity of an authentic alternative break experience with innovative training and networking opportunities to share ideas and best practices for programs while promoting active citizenship.

For over 25 years Break Away has provided schools with quality training to further the alternative break movement. The ABCs are the only experiential training conferences dedicated entirely to creating quality alternative break programs. Whether you are interested in starting alternative breaks on your campus or are coming from a well-established program, this conference will accelerate the depth and breadth of your work.

Here at HQ, we’re thrilled to announce four compelling focus areas and locations for the 2017 ABCs:

· Citizenship as Community: Reshaping an American Identity – June 4 – 9 – Atlanta, GA – Hosted in partnership with Freedom University and Emory University

· Reframing Disability: Communities of Independence and Self-Determination – June 18 – 23 – Spartanburg, South Carolina – Hosted in partnership with University of South Carolina – Upstate

· Cultivating Ownership and Access through Sustainable Food Systems – July 9 – 14 – Keene, New Hampshire – Hosted in partnership with Keene State College

· Minimizing Human Impact in a Changing Climate – July 22 – 28 – Grand Canyon National Park – Hosted in partnership with the National Park Service

For more information go to http://alternativebreaks.org/events/alternative-break-citizenship-schools-abcs/2017-alternative-break-citizenship-schools-abcs/

The call will outline best practices for branding and marketing your program including an overview of brand elements and two spotlights of well-established alternative break programs. Whether you represent a program with a strong brand and program culture or are just beginning to build a brand for your program, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

Leading with Your Brand: Branding & Marketing for Alternative Breaks
Thursday, November 19th | 1-2pm ET

• Kaveh Sadeghian | Marketing Director at the University of Pennsylvania
• Raul Carril | Graduate Assistant at the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement at Rollins College
• Logan Keller | Alternative Spring Break Education Chair at Vanderbilt University

Please RSVP to shannon@alternativebreaks.org if you’re planning to attend, and we will send you the presentation materials and call-in information. Feel free to forward this invitation to anyone who works with alternative breaks and may benefit from participating in the call.

Hope you can join us!
Break Away

The annual gathering of active citizens has begun! Join the Break Away staff and campus leaders from colleges and universities across the nation for a week that will enrich your alternative break program, expand your leadership potential, and determine the direction of the national movement. Alternative Break Citizenship schools (ABCs) combine the intensity of an authentic alternative break experience with innovative training and networking opportunities to share ideas and best practices for programs while promoting active citizenship.

For over 20 years Break Away has provided schools with quality training to further the alternative break movement. The ABCs are the only experiential training conferences dedicated entirely to creating quality alternative break programs. Whether you are interested in starting alternative breaks on your campus or are coming from a well-established program, this conference will accelerate the quality and the quantity of your work.

Here at the Break Away, we are particularly excited to announce four compelling social issues and locations for the 2015 ABCs:

The 2015 Alternative Break Citizenship Schools

Ensuring Representation for Unheard Voices | Atlanta, Georgia

June 7 – 12

Hosted by Emory University

“Every single life matters, equally and infinitely.” Yet the stories and perspectives of many are invisible, dismissed, or otherwise lost. The media and historical record magnify voices representing individuals of privileged social class, race, and ethnicity, at the risk of silencing authentic stories that reach across difference to foster empathy and understanding. In partnership with StoryCorps, ABCs participants will collect oral histories from Atlanta residents across various ages and experiences. Participants will be trained on the collecting, sharing, and preserving of people’s stories to improve public understanding of the social injustices and stereotypes we encounter in our lives. Stories documented at this ABCs will go on record at the Library of Congress.

Changing the Narrative: Community Building as Power | Ferguson, Missouri

June 21 – 26

In partnership with Operation Help or Hush

Ferguson, Missouri has become the crux of a polarizing, nationwide debate about race and power in the justice system. The media has perpetuated the now deeply-entrenched belief that the town is a dangerous, corrupt, war zone. Community leaders in Ferguson have been working to turn that debate into dialogue and conversation into action. With an invitation from local organizers and activists at Operation Help or Hush, ABCs participants will assist with initiatives that emerged from community polling and asset mapping efforts, while gaining crucial organizing and dialogue skills to further this work in their own communities. ​​

Navigating Access, Integration, and Citizenship as New Americans | Columbus, Ohio

July 5 – 10

Hosted by The Ohio State University

For thousands of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants settling in Ohio each year, the challenges of successful integration and pressures of assimilation create barriers to establishing healthy and thriving lives. Uprooted from their cultures and communities – either by choice or force – new Americans must navigate complicated processes as they add to the economic development and cultural richness of the area. ABCs participants will work with organizations in Columbus that assist new American populations in building skills to address barriers related to language, education, fair and affordable housing, and employment.

Answering the Call to Action: A Second Century of National Parks | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

July 25 – August 1

Hosted by the National Park Service
Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Break Away is calling upon 50 alternative break programs to recommit to citizen stewardship and connection by sending trips to work with national parks in 2016. As a part of a long-term partnership with Ranger Todd Nelson and the Grand Canyon, we’re joining the NPS in their campaign to re-engage youth in the parks and expand our understanding of environmental preservation. Participants at this ABCs will work with the Fire Management and Vegetation programs as they develop an understanding of natural systems restoration in monitoring existing wildland and using controlled burns to maintain diverse habitat.

Quotes from past ABCs Participants:

“It was a life-changing week. I learned so much about an important issue and I finally feel I am involved in a movement.”

“You will come away with a skill set that will help you in areas extending far beyond alternative breaks.”

“An excellent opportunity to connect with the national movement, improve your own program through workshops, and experience a model alternative break.”

“Truly a transformative experience. It will change your life and leave you filled with hope and knowledge, and the resources and confidence to start or better your alternative break program.”

Come learn what these ABCs graduates are talking about! We encourage you to send representatives from your alternative break program to take advantage of the premier training for alternative break leaders. Register here.

The ABCs fill up every year and in response to this, for the third year in a row, we have expanded our efforts to host a fourth conference; we encourage you to register early to secure your space. Being true alternative breakers, we have worked hard to keep registration prices as low as possible, and will continue to offer an early-bird registration for the ABCs. That deadline is Thursday, April 23rd and allows you to take advantage of the ABCs at a significantly reduced cost. The final date to register for the ABCs will be Monday, May 18th. Payment may be made online here or by check; all payment information can be sent to breakaway@alternativebreaks.org or mailed to Break Away, 2451 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 3124, Atlanta, GA 30339. Once your participant registration form and payment are complete, you will be fully registered for the ABCs and will receive confirmation from Break Away. Additionally, you are able to confirm a space with payment (and not with a name) since that often happens with transitioning leadership.

http://www.alternativebreaks.org/events/alternative-break-citizenship-schools-abcs/

Staff Track details, and other updates will soon be available on our website. If you have any questions in the meantime, please call 404.919.7482 or email the national office at breakaway@alternativebreaks.org.

The call will focus on strategic planning and leadership transitions for the upcoming year. You’ll hear from us first, with an overview of strategic planning processes and tips for alternative break programs, including: SWOT, strategic directives, goal setting, and organizational structure development. And then two alternative break programs will talk through how they’re currently navigating transitions in leadership and structure this coming year.

Whether your program in the midst of a current strategic plan, or just looking to get started on one, you won’t want to miss this conversation. It’s shaping up to be one of the best this year.

Leaving a Legacy: Strategic Planning and Leadership Transition for Alternative Breaks
Wednesday, April 29th | 1-2pm ET

Featuring spotlights from:

Jill Piacitelli | Co-Executive Director, Break Away

Mary Higgins, Maggie Frodell, and Abby Williams | Alternative School Break, Lafayette College

Elizabeth Esparza | Director of Alternative Breaks for JUMP, Sonoma State University

Feel free to forward this invitation to anyone on your campus who works with alternative breaks and may benefit from participating in the call. Please RSVP to shannon@alternativebreaks.org if you’re planning to attend, and we will send you the presentation materials and call-in information.

Registration is open and all the details you’d want – workshops sessions, hotel and travel information, two-day Summit agenda, and more – can be found on our website.

http://www.alternativebreaks.org/events/staff-development-summit-registration/

This is one of the highlights of the year for Break Away – serving as a convener for the staff leadership of the alternative break movement. This year, we are particularly excited to highlight the great work happening within University of Missouri’s program:

Mizzou has successfully scaled up to become one of the biggest alternative programs in the country​ (sending 842 participants on 69 trips in 2014!) in just the last couple of years, while maintaining a sharp focus on the quality and innovation of the programming. They have a 5 year plan to provide service to all 114 counties in Missouri through the active pursuit of on campus partnerships and served as a leader in the development and growth of the SEC Compact, involving five schools in collective fundraising and sequential service work with Habitat of Humanity of Northwest Alabama. We’ll be able to hear from staff and students involved in these efforts – as well as other staff leaders and Break Away staff on how to successfully manage the growth of an ever-expanding student-led program.

We’ll use this event as an opportunity to delve into some of the unique issues and challenges faced by large alternative break programs while creating an environmental for smaller programs to plan for their future growth.

Workshop topics include:

• Partnerships: On Campus and Beyond
• Building and Maintaining a Mega Program
• Regional Compact Models
• Program Policies and Liability
• High Impact Fundraising
• Working with Alumni

Join us for this exciting event where you’ll have the opportunity to learn best practices from across the movement, share innovations from your own program, and collaborate with Break Away staff and other alternative break professionals. We promise that you’ll find “your people” here.

Please feel free to call or email sg@alternativebreaks.org with any questions.