About Alternative Spring Break (ASB)

The Colby Volunteer Center’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Program is a student-led initiative that provides Colby students with a service and learning opportunity to explore an issue of social relevance both in and outside the classroom. The ASB Program is a yearlong curriculum that views the volunteering that students do during spring break as only a part of the overall ASB experience. Prior to spring break, ASB students participate in faculty-led seminars, local volunteer work, and fundraising efforts. During spring break, students will engage in volunteer work and reflect on their daily activities through student-led discussions and written responses. Upon their return to Colby, the ASB groups work to bring their experience back to the Colby community. Trips are offered at no-cost or a reduced cost to ensure that any Colby student has the opportunity to participate regardless of economic status. Consequently, year-round fundraising is an essential element to the ASB experience.

Over the past three years, the Center’s ASB Program has greatly increased in scope, growing from one to three trips that are now both international and domestic. Furthermore, the ASB Program has strengthened its educational component through the heightened involvement of numerous faculty who provide seminars for ASB participants on topics pertinent to the trips. To find out more about this year’s trips and the educational aspect of the ASB Program, please click here.