Alternative Breaks
Make a Difference this Spring Break!
Alternative Breaks take you out of the classroom to learn from communities, immersing you in engaging, hands-on explorations of social and environmental issues through meaningful service projects and dialogue with local leaders.
As part of a team of 8 – 12 passionate students, you’ll take part in impactful volunteer projects and reflect on how your experience expands your understanding of the world and your role within it. Every trip also includes time to explore the region’s history, culture, and environment through team-planned recreation and sightseeing activities.
Wherever you go, you’ll return with new friendships, fresh perspectives, and inspiration to create positive change in your own community.
Students can earn academic credit for participating in an Alternative Break trip. To learn more, contact Experiential Learning Program Manager Jenah Mead at jenah.mead@mso.umt.edu
Applications for Alternative Breaks 2026 are CLOSED! Stay tuned to hear about how each of the trips went and the impact they made!
2026 Alternative Breaks
Building Community Resilience Together
This spring break, join one of three Alternative Break experiences designed to immerse you in communities that are redefining what it means to be resilient. Across the country, people are coming together to care for one another, restore ecosystems, and rebuild after hardship. Whether you’re empowering youth in Seattle, supporting disaster recovery in North Carolina, or restoring fragile dune habitat in California, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with local leaders, contribute to projects that matter, and reflect deeply on what it means to be part of a community.
Please Note: Trip costs cover all group travel, lodging, and meal expenses during your service experience. Students are responsible for personal expenses (such as souvenirs or optional activities) and meals during travel days.
Youth Empowerment in Seattle, WA
Explore what young people need to thrive and how meeting those needs helps build a stronger, more resilient community.
Dates: March 15 – 22, 2026 | Cost: $200
What do young people need to thrive? Join us in Seattle to explore why meeting the needs of youth is foundational to building a resilient community.
In King County, over 2,000 children and young adults experience houselessness on any given night. This spring break, our team will partner with nonprofits like ROOTS and Urban Artworks that support and empower youth through access to food, shelter, education, and creative expression. Our service projects may include serving meals, supporting youth art and empowerment programs, and assisting with shelter upkeep.
Drawing on ideas from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we’ll explore how well-being extends beyond food and housing, and how creativity and belonging play vital roles in helping young people thrive. Together, we’ll learn from Seattle’s community leaders about the challenges and hopes that shape their work, and reflect on what it takes for a community to show up for its youth.
Along the way, we’ll take time to experience the city we’re contributing to. We may wander through Pike Place Market, dine on sushi burritos, take a Ferry ride to a nearby island, or visit one of Seattle’s many museums.
Lodging: Airbnb
Mode of Travel: Driving (7 hrs)
Accessibility & Service Note: Some service activities may involve food preparation, including handling raw meat, and light manual tasks such as cleaning or organizing. Please let program staff know in advance if you have dietary restrictions, allergies, or accessibility concerns so we can make appropriate arrangements.
Dune Restoration in Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
Help restore one of the nation’s last native dune ecosystems and explore what nature can teach us about community resilience.
Dates: March 14–22, 2026 | Cost: $325
Spend your spring break restoring one of the last remaining native dune habitats in the United States.
Point Reyes National Seashore is one the most biologically diverse regions in the world. This spring break we’ll partner with the U.S. National Park Service to restore critical coastal dune habitat in the park that supports endangered wildlife, including the Western Snowy Plover, Leatherback Sea Turtle, and Myrtle’s Silverspot Butterfly. One of the biggest threats to these rare species’ recovery is the spread of invasive, non-native plant species which replace native dune grasses and accelerate biodiversity loss.
As we work side by side with park rangers and ecologists to remove these invasive species and restore native vegetation, we’ll explore what ecosystems can teach us about community resilience. We’ll also immerse ourselves in Point Reyes’ beautiful ecosystem and observe a rich variety of plants and wildlife.
During our community immersion day, we’ll walk among old-growth redwoods at Muir Woods or spend time sightseeing in San Francisco, giving us a chance to connect more deeply with the landscapes and communities our work has impacted.
Lodging: Point Reyes Field Station
Mode of Travel: Driving (17 hrs)
Accessibility & Service Note: This trip includes moderate physical activity such as walking long distances on uneven terrain, bending, and working outdoors for several hours each day in varying weather conditions.
Disaster Recovery in Asheville, NC
Join community partners rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and discover how communities respond to natural disasters and how we can be resilient in the face of climate change.
Dates: March 14 – 21, 2026 | Cost: $475
Travel with us to Asheville, North Carolina, to explore how communities respond, recover, and rebuild after natural disasters and how we can be resilient in the face of climate change.
In September of 2024, Asheville, North Carolina, was hit by hurricane Helene, the most expensive disaster in North Carolina’s history, devastating the community and leaving lasting impacts on infrastructure and ecosystems.
This spring break, our team will engage in disaster recovery work with community partners focused on housing, animal welfare, environmental restoration, and more. Service projects may include rebuilding homes with Habitat for Humanity, caring for animals at the Asheville Humane Society, and helping the National Forest Service in Pisgah National Forest restore damaged ecosystems.
Throughout the week, we’ll deepen our connection to the place and people we’re serving by exploring North Carolina’s natural beauty and culture – from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville’s River Arts District and historic downtown.
Lodging: Airbnb
Mode of Travel: Flying
Accessibility & Service Note: Participants should be comfortable engaging in physical tasks such as construction, cleaning, and outdoor work in both indoor and outdoor
Read about our last Alternative Break here. On this trip, 23 incredible UM students traded their beach towels for work boots and chose to use their spring break to make a difference by embarking on two life-changing Alternative Breaks through ELCS’s Career Days initiative. These service-learning trips took students beyond the classroom and into communities in Seattle, WA and Point Reyes, CA, where they combined hard work with deep learning, connection, and adventure.