Alternative Spring Break
Office Phone: 914.606.6731
Location: David Swope Student Center, Room 108
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
What is Service Learning and Alternative Break?
Service Learning:
Service learning is a form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection. Service-learning places an emphasis on working closely with community partners to address community concerns. Students who engage in service learning learn about the connection between their service, their academic coursework, and their roles as citizens.
Alternative Break:
The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Program is a meaningful service-learning experience where selected SUNY Westchester Community College students engage in community-based service during Spring Break to make a difference in local and statewide communities.
Each year, two student groups travel to different locations across the United States during Spring Break, participating in service experiences centered around a shared theme including but not limited to civic engagement, poverty, food insecurity, criminal justice reform, housing insecurity, and community restoration projects. Both trips provide students with the opportunity to explore the same topic through different community perspectives, engage in hands-on service, and better understand the challenges impacting communities across the country.
The ASB program consists of nine pre-trip meetings, one week of service, a post-trip reflection, a campus presentation, and a closing ceremony. Through these pre-service meetings, students explore topics such as servant leadership, service, and other critical social issues. Through collaboration with community organizations and campus partners, students deepen their understanding of these topics while preparing for their service experience.
Participating students have the opportunity to grow alongside their peers, engage in critical thinking and reflection, and contribute to hands-on community service projects that address systemic challenges within the United States.
Learn about ASB and How to Apply:
How our Alternative Spring Break Operates
Our Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program is divided into three major components that all selected students are required to participate in:
The program begins with nine pre-trip meetings designed to prepare students for their service trip experience. Through these sessions, students explore topics such as servant leadership, service, and critical social issues related to the trip focus. In collaboration with community organizations and campus partners, students build their understanding of the chosen topic, learn about the communities they will serve, and discuss trip logistics, expectations, and service projects.
Students participate in one week of service-learning activities in collaboration with community partners. Throughout the experience, students engage in direct service while connecting their work to broader themes such as diversity, social justice, education, and community engagement. At the conclusion of each service day, students participate in reflections that encourage them to process their experiences, examine their impact, and deepen their understanding of the issues addressed through the program.
Following the service experience, students participate in a post-trip reflection, campus presentation, and closing ceremony. These opportunities allow students to share their experiences, assess their personal and collective growth, highlight the impact of their service, and connect their Alternative Spring Break experience back to the campus community.
ASB Trip Roles and Requirements
Each ASB trip is made up of (1) Trip Coordinator (1) Trip Advisor, and (10-12*) Trip Participants.
For additional information, or if you have any questions, please email Candace White, Associate Director for Student Involvement, Candace.White@sunywcc.edu or call the Department of Student Involvement at 914-606-6731.
- If selected as a Trip Coordinator or Trip Participant, students are required to attend weekly meetings in the Fall and Spring Semesters. These meetings take place on Fridays from 2pm to 4pm.
- If selected as a Trip Coordinator or Trip Participant, students are required to pay a $50.00 non-refundable deposit to secure their spot. This is to ensure everyone is committed to the trip and the forthcoming requirements upon selection
Trip Advisors are faculty or staff members who provide guidance, mentorship, and oversight throughout the Alternative Spring Break experience. Advisors support trip preparation, assist with the service-learning process, help facilitate reflections, and ensure students have a safe, meaningful, and educational experience.
Together, Trip Participants, Trip Coordinators, and Trip Advisors work collaboratively to create an impactful Alternative Spring Break experience that connects service, leadership, and learning.
Trip Participants are students selected to participate in the Alternative Spring Break experience. Participants attend required pre-trip meetings, engage in the service-learning experience, participate in reflections, and contribute to the overall success of the trip. Through their involvement, students gain a deeper understanding of social issues, strengthen leadership skills, and make a positive impact within the communities they serve.
Qualifications:
- Remain in good judicial standing
- Remain in good academic standing.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.
- Be enrolled in at least one (1) credit bearing course at the college.
Trip Coordinators are student leaders who co-lead the Alternative Spring Break trip alongside the Trip Advisor. Trip Coordinators are selected through an application process. Trip Coordinators help prepare for the experience, support trip logistics, encourage group engagement, facilitate reflection opportunities, and serve as peer leaders throughout the program. This leadership role allows students to develop skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and community engagement.
Qualifications:
First semester students are not eligible for Trip Coordinator roles.
- Remain in good judicial standing.
- Remain in good academic standing.
- Must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Be enrolled in at least six (6) credits or more.
Applications
Trip Participant Application
Open: October 9, 2026 at 8:00 am
Closed: Novemner 8, 2026 at 11:59 pm
Trip Coordinator Application
Open: September 29, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Closed: October 27, 2026 at 11:59 pm
Past Alternative Spring Break
- March 2018: Food Insecurity, New York City
- October 2018: The Environment, Wildlife, and Us, Westchester
- March 2019: Criminal Justice in America: Prison, Probation, and Parenting in lock-up, New York and Philadelphia
- March 2019: Immigration and Border Issues, San Diego, CA
- March 2020: Understanding Neighborhood Regeneration and Empowering Communities, Chicago, IL
- March 2020: The Oceans and their Eco-Systems, Newport, RI
- March 2021: Immigration in the U.S., Virtual
- March 2021: Bodies of Water and Eco-Systems, Virtual
- March 2021: Criminalization and Incarceration, Virtual
- March 2022: Community Revitalization and Immigration on the U.S./Mexico Border, San Diego, CA
- March 2024: Unsheltered People and the Impact of Community Displacement, NYC, NY
- March 2024: Hurricane Disaster Relief and Global Warming, Fort Myers, FL
- March 2025: Mass Incarceration and Criminalization in U.S., Philadelphia
- March 2025: The Impacts of Global Warming and Climate Change, Puerto Rico
- March 2026: Civil Rights and Racial Equity in the U.S., Selma, Alabama
- March 2026: Civil Rights and Racial Equity in the U.S., Washington, D.C.