Alternative Break Program

The Alternative Break Program started in 1994 through the student organization VOICES (Volunteer Organization Involving Community, Education and Service) with 20 students embarking to Reynosa, Mexico. Since then, hundreds of students have participated in alternative break trips each year to help serve communities near and far.

Program Goal

The mission of our program is to empower and challenge students to understand their relationship with the global community through education, reflection, and direct service while on week-long service trips over winter or spring break. Our program moves students to become active citizens for life by creating an experience that fosters social awareness, personal growth, and social action.

2019-2020 Alternative Break Trips

Change, Not Coins: Examining Urban Homelessness in New Orleans, LA 

            Community Partner: Camp Restore

Changing the Narrative: Emphasizing Abilities in Disabilities in Dallas, TX 

            Community Partner: Camp Summit

Long-Term Recovery: Environmental Restoration & Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico 

            Community Partner: Community Collaboration International

Small Acts, Big Impact

Forty percent of UTSA students are first-generation students which means that many of them could be struggling financially to attend college. These students are less likely to be able to afford experiential learning opportunities such as participating in an Alternative Break Trip, but with your help, we can make these experiences more accessible to more of our students.

To make this possible, we need your help in providing funding for meals, transportation, and housing costs for trip participants, as well as the cost of adding additional trips to expand our program. Will you make a gift to support the Alternative Break Program today? 

Supporting the Alternative Break Program means that we will be able to help meet a community need, get a deeper understanding of a social issue and leave UTSA with a better understanding of how to be a life-long active citizen in our greater communities. Thank you!