Alternative Service Break
The Alternative Service Break (ASB) program is a unique learning experience in which students engage in direct service to a community while being immersed in the culture.
What is the Alternative Service Break program?
The Alternative Service Break (ASB) program is a unique learning experience in which students engage in direct service to a community while being immersed in the culture. Teams are led by student team-leaders and accompanied by faculty or staff advisors. Each team spends extensive time prior to travel doing team-building, planning for their experience, and studying the scope of their impact in the communities they will engage with.
Throughout their travels, team members participate in a variety of cultural, educational, recreational, and reflective activities to enhance their service experience. During Fall/Winter/Spring/May break, our student groups serve in North Carolina, across the United States, and around the world. Teams sponsored by Student Leadership and Engagement and other campus partners focus on water quality and sanitation, affordable housing, youth education and empowerment, medical clinics, LGBTQ+ and civil rights, and environmental issues.
It’s our 25th anniversary!
May Break ASB Information Meetings
Attending an information meeting is required to have a completed ASB application for May Break. Please register here to attend an ASB info session. If you cannot attend any of the sessions listed below select that option on the form and you will be sent a zoom recording.
| Friday, November 15th at 3:00 p.m. via Zoom | |
| Monday, December 2nd at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom | |
| Tuesday, January 7th at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom |
Goals of ASB
- To develop and enhance a value for public service, civic engagement, and service-learning within the participants.
- To expose students to cultural immersion and exploration of political and economic differences.
- To help students identify their privileges and begin to use these to break down the systems that afford unearned privileges in our society.
- To provide opportunities for students to reflect on their roles in a global community.
- To provide an opportunity to interact with diverse individuals and practice communicating in another language.
- To help students identify ways to apply what they learned to their own communities.
Application Timelines
| Program | Application Deadline | Trip Application | Travel Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Break 2024 | August 26th – 11:59pm | Application Closed | Application Closed |
| Winter Break 2024 | August 26th – 11:59pm | Application Closed | Application Closed |
| Spring Break 2025 | October 1 – 11:59pm | Application Closed | Application Closed |
| May Break 2025 | January 17th – 11:59pm | Application Open | Application Open |
Concerned about Paying for an Experience?
Our office desires to make every effort to remove barriers to students being able to participate in ASB, and there are a number of avenues through which financials barriers can be managed appropriately:
- Travel Awards
Student Leadership and Engagement has offered limited travel awards in the past to students via an application process. These awards are designed to offset the overall cost of an Alternative Service Break experience. Application deadlines and link above. - College of Engineering Students
COE Enhancement Fee paying students whose majors are part of the College of Engineering may have the opportunity to receive some financial support for the travel portion of your ASB experience depending on funding availability. - Still concerned about how to pay?
Please contact assistant director Carly May (cmmay3@ncsu.edu) directly if you are still concerned or have questions about paying for Alternative Service Break experiences.
Passport and International Services
NC State University has its own Passport Fair right on campus! If you’re in need of applying for, updating, or have questions regarding your Passport for international travel use the links below to assist in preparation for your ASB experience.
For international students considering an ASB experience, please be sure to consult with the Office of International Services and/or your respective embassy to ensure all documentation and permissions are in order prior to your commitment. All international students are responsible to being aware of the implications of traveling outside the United States while on their visa status.
Participant Resources
- The Active Citizen Continuum is a model developed by Break Away, a national nonprofit, to display the stages of involvement in development and service work, from ‘Member’ to ‘Active Citizen.’
- All ASB participants are educated through a classroom-style cohort in preparation for their experience. The Team Participant Manual outlines each step of important information for all travelers.
- ASB participants take the CliftonStrengths assessment, a survey developed by Gallup designed to provide a language to discover, discuss, and activate one’s talents. Our office has two certified coaches to assist with digesting the assessment results, what they mean, and how they’re applied.
Questions?
Contact our team below with any questions or concerns about the Alternative Service Break program!
