Carnegie Mellon University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Alternative Break Trips

In past years, approximately 10-12 service trips are planned annually by student organizations and advised by Student Leadership, Involvement, and Civic Engagement (SLICE) office and the Office of International Education (OIE). Alternative Break trips occur during the week of Fall Break, the week of Spring Break, and over the summer months as well. Examples of recent trips include:

Pittsburgh Alternative Break

Students staying in Pittsburgh over Spring Break can participate in Pittsburgh Alternative Break, a week-long, student-led program designed to give students a more in-depth look at social issues impacting Pittsburgh through hands-on direct service projects, reflective learning discussions and cultural experiences. The 2024 focus neighborhood was Larimer, and students spent the week engaging in direct service projects, on-site visits with community-based organizations, and daily group bonding and reflection activities.

Juntos

Juntos is a CMU organization that partners with an NGO, Bridges to Community, which develops poverty alleviation strategies with local communities in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Each year, two to four initiatives are developed by Juntos members to address the concerns of their partner community. Initiatives range from education, health, environmental sustainability and art. 

Engineers Without Borders (EWB)

The Carnegie Mellon chapter of EWB is part of a national, nonprofit organization with a network of more than 1,000 professionals and students working to reduce poverty and improve global sustainability. The chapter works on local and international engineering and sustainability projects to provide communities with tailored solutions to issues such as water distribution, water purification, power, shelter, sanitation and infrastructure improvement.