2016 Alternative Breaks trip to Housing Assistance Corporation in Cape Cod, for which students worked with community members to build a barn for the sustainable farm that addresses food insecurity within the community.

Help send students on service-learning trips during Spring Break, where students will directly engage with communities by working in domestic violence and homeless shelters, building urban gardens, supporting commercially and sexually exploited youth, and more. 

Who are we?

2017 Alternative Breaks team meeting, in which students engage in discussions of relevant social justice issues that are guided by the program's service-learning curriculum.

Every year during Spring Break, the student-led Cornell Alternative Breaks program of The Public Service Center facilitates social justice-oriented service-learning trips across the country for hundreds of Cornell students. These students engage with various communities and our long-term agency partners through direct public service regarding social justice issues such as poverty, food insecurity, nutrition, affordable housing, domestic violence, homelessness, LGBTQIA+ homeless youth, commercial sexual exploitation of youth, therapeutic horsemanship, urban ​farming and more. Trip sites include Cape Cod, Florida, Lake Placid, New York City, and more. 

What is our mission?

2010 Alternative Breaks NYC trip to New Settlement, participating with CASA in a protest for tenants' and workers' rights at City Hall.

The mission of our program is to promote service-learning through direct ​community ​service with various communities in order to heighten social awareness, enhance personal growth, and advocate lifelong social action.

How will your support be used?

Before/After from 2017 Alternative Breaks trip at Harlem Grown's 131 Street "Tot Lot" Farm in Harlem, NYC. This agency provides garden-based development programs, hands-on education in urban farming, and nutrition in food deserts for Harlem youth.

To make these trips possible, we need your help in providing funding for transportation and housing costs for 100-120 students, as well as the cost of adding an additional trip this year to expand our program. 

• Our New York City costs are $11,000 for bus transportation and housing​.
• Our Lake Placid costs are $3,000 for bus transportation and housing. 
• Our Cape Cod costs are $2,000 for bus transportation and housing. 
• The costs for our ​potential ​additional trip ​are $5,000 for transportation and housing.

Overall, our program asks that you help us reach our goal of $21,000. 

Several 2017 Alternative Breaks NYC teams at our annual Network for Change event during Spring Break, at which students have the opportunity to meet and engage with fellow Alternative Breaks alumni who have integrated social justice work in their personal lives and careers.

Thank you,

Cornell Alternative Breaks

Please email us at altbreaks@cornell.edu or visit our Facebook page if you have questions or would like to stay updated with our program.