Signature Programs
Alternative Breaks
Alternative Breaks (AB) sends small groups of UT students to outside communities to grow as leaders and learn through immersive service experiences. AB is designed for passionate students who are looking to spend their academic breaks on productive and interactive service-learning opportunities. Alternative Breaks pushes students to participate in transformative learning, consistent reflection, and meaningful community service. By becoming Active Citizens, AB participants promise to carry what they learn back to Austin and back on campus.
Ready to apply? Applications open each October. Follow @ut_collective for updates.
Why Should I Participate?
- Immersive Travel
- Reflective Learning
- 20+ Service Hours
- Digital Badging
- 2-Hour Elective Credit
Interested in joining the leadership team and planning a future trip? Apply to the Community Engagement Collective to become an Alternative Breaks Trip Lead!
Participant Expectations
Participants are required to enroll in LA 212C: Active Citizenship in Practice in the spring, which takes place Wednesdays from 3-5 p.m. This course is used to prepare participants for the trips and promote active citizenship after the trips.
Trip fees range from $100-$500, which includes travel, lodging, food, and activities. A non-refundable $50 deposit is due in the fall semester. Payment plans are available in the spring. Final payments are due prior to the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate?
Alternative Breaks is open to all UT Austin students. No prior Alternative Breaks, travel, or service experience is required. The most important requirements are an open mind, a passion for community service and a desire to learn and work together.
How will AB participants reach their trip location? What mode of transportation will be used?
All AB participants will travel with their groups to their respective trip location. Throughout the various AB trips participants will travel by SUV, van, or plane. Once they arrive, participants should prepare to walk, use various modes of public transportation, and be driven by SUV.
How safe will I be?
Steps have been taken to minimize all risk because safety is the top priority for all Alternative Breaks trip. Each trip's routes and sites are screened carefully to ensure the safety of all participants. During the trips, participants will be participating in AB lead activities from night to day so participants will always be with the larger group.
What does my trip fee cover?
The trip expense will pay for everything other than souvenirs or incidentals. Transit, accommodation, and meals will be fully covered by the trip costs. The sleeping quarters are modest, participants will be sleeping in bunks, cots, or in sleeping bags throughout the trip. Meals will be provided for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most meals will be home-cooked by participants, but there will be opportunities to try local restaurants. Strict diet preferences will be accommodated, if specified in advance.
What type of volunteering would I be doing?
Each trip varies in the type of volunteering you will be participating in, some consisting of intensive manual labor such as: digging, building, lifting, cleaning etc. While others may be less labor intensive such as: gardening, sorting files, packing bags, serving food etc. You will be informed of what type of work you will be doing prior to the trip.
Support Alternative Breaks
Alternative Breaks is made possible by individuals and groups who give time, talent, in-kind product, and monetary donations. Support Alternative Breaks.
$600 will fund one student's trip.
$1,500 will fund a week's worth of food for one trip.
$3,000 will fund housing for one trip.
$10,000 will fund an entire trip.
Contact Information
utbreaks@gmail.com
@ut_collective on Instagram
Community Engagement Collective
The Community Engagement Collective (CEC) is a network of students passionate about service and community engagement. We host programs and events throughout the year, including Alternative Breaks and The Project, to keep UT students engaged in the wider Austin community.
Please visit utcollective.org for more information.
The Project
The Project is the University of Texas at Austin's largest single day of student service. This annual university-wide event is organized and run by Volunteerism and Service Learning (VSL) and marks the culmination of a partnership between VSL and the selected neighborhood's community leaders.
The Project '25
The next Project will be November 8th, 2025. Please visit utcollective.org for up-to-date information.
How to Get Involved
- Volunteer: Register as an individual or to work with a group. Any Longhorn - student, staff, faculty, or alumni - is encouraged to be there!
- Become a Team Lead: Team Leads are The Project's event staff. Team Leads are provided leadership, safety and facilitator trainings.
- Join the Project Planning Team: The Community Engagement Collective (CEC) is a network of students passionate about community engagement and community service. The Project is one just one of the programs that the CEC coordinates each year. We're always looking for new members and new partnerships!
Community Partnerships
Neighborhood partnerships run in two-year cycles in an effort to create meaningful and lasting relationships between neighborhood residents and UT students and programs.
Interested in working with The Project? Reach out on behalf of your neighborhood - we'd love to get to know you!
Timeline
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Support Us
The Project is made possible by individuals and groups who give time, talent, in-kind product, and monetary donations. Our entire operating budget of approximately $60,000 comes from these donors. Support The Project.