Students who want to see the country from a new perspective and at a low cost are in luck. Alternative Breaks provides the opportunity to volunteer in various communities around the nation, and they take place year-round.

“It’s a fairly inexpensive way to get out and see the country, and see how social issues are outside of Kansas,” said Whitney Bloom, director of Alternative Breaks.

Groups are divided into seven people (enough to fit in a rental van), and applicants provide their top site preferences, along with an explanation of what they can contribute to the issue.

“Students can get credit for service learning,” Bloom said. “We accept most people who apply and we have an alternate list; it’s not too hard to get onto a break.”

Alternative Breaks covers topics such as environmental issues and poverty head on. Breaks is primarily student-run with two site leaders on each trip.

“There are advisors who are faculty members, but that’s the closest to adult supervision we have,” Bloom said.

Julia Barnard, a junior from Lawrence, is coordinating all 13 breaks this semester.

“You meet a lot of wonderful people,” Barnard said. “No matter where you go, you’re going to learn from the people you’re working with and the communities.”

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Julia Barnard, a junior from Lawrence, participated in a trip to Catalina Island off the coast of California last summer. Barnard helped plant trees, make trails and remove invasive species for the Catalina Environmental Leadership program.

“Since then, I got really interested in issues of environmental justice,” Barnard said. “I’m centering my academic research around problems of waste also.”

Barnard appreciated meeting new people and working with a community on her trip.

“It’s a great way to introduce yourself to some of the problems that our country and our generation are facing,” Barnard said.

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Joe Stogsdill, a junior from Lawrence, also went to Catalina Island last summer to help with the Catalina Environmental Leadership program. Stogsdill enjoyed his alternative break because it gave him the opportunity to volunteer for something he enjoys.

“I didn’t have to sacrifice what I wanted to do just because I was volunteering,” Stogsdill said. “I got to give my time, but I was doing it in a way that I feel I will benefit from down the line.”

Stogsdill is going toparticipate in his second alternative break as a group coordinator on an organic farm in Austin, Texas, this spring.

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Megan Do, a senior from Wichita, traveled to Atlanta over winter break and volunteered to make meals for participants in a drug and alcohol program at Café 458, along with helping unemployed citizenswork on their resumes at the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency.

Do said teaching basic technology skills to those at the center was particularly memorable.

“Many didn’t know how to click to get online; it was kind of heartbreaking,” Do said. “After helping them, all you could really do is wish them good luck and hope that they find a job.”

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Rachel Gadd-Nelson, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., volunteered in New York City at Sylvia’s Place, a food pantry and emergency overnight shelter for LGBT youth. Gadd-Nelson said she enjoyed learning more about the issue.

“Queer youth homelessness is definitely an issue worldwide, and the Midwest is no exception to that,” Gadd-Nelson said. “I think it was good for us to go to this establishment and see how they do things and support them in any way we can.”

— Edited by Caroline Bledowski