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Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Center for Leadership and Community Engagement
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
United States
Past Alternative Break Programs
American University Alternative Breaks have worked with communities around the world on issues ranging from poverty, indigenous rights, structural racism, human rights, fair trade, gender equality, and the environment. Below you will find a searchable list that highlights examples of past Alternative Break Programs, the social justice themes they explored, and some select community partners AU students worked with.
| Social Justice Theme | Location | Academic Year | Theme Description | Community Organizations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Bridges through Social Justice Movements & Higher Education | Ghana | 2023-2024 | Our program's social justice theme will focus on the social justice consciousness in Ghana's higher education. We seek to learn about the colonial effects of education in Ghana's societies today, by understanding the unjust consequences due to clash of culture, enormous economic emphasis, gender dynamics, and privileges it grants to a minority in society. We have chosen Ghana specifically because it's one of the earliest countries to gain independence and has made many strides to amplify the social justice at hand and to reinforce the connections made last spring with the previous program. We hope to organize a few spaces around conversation with Ghanaian students at the local university and compare the parallels with that of American institutions by engaging the American students to share their perspectives. As an outcome, we hope to have sparked the first of many conversations about the influence of education on local Ghanaians studies and open spaces to dive deeper into the future implications of investing in education empowerment. To do this, we will partner with local university students, local nonprofit org, and the government. | |
| Youth Empowerment & Sustainable Community Development | Honduras | 2023-2024 | In this program, students will explore and learn how to build resilient and sustainable communities through youth leadership and mentorship. It focuses on how inequitable systems of power( regarding colonization) create barriers to community security; how communities can sustainably support the academic and career goals of the next generation. Students will have the opportunity to learn from local stakeholders in DC and during their time in Honduras about the ways to build positive peace by participating in youth empowerment and community-led advocacy. By working with local non-profits such as OYE and their local partners, students will better understand these complex challenges that exist in the world we know them to be today. | Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE) |
| Beyond Borders: Colombia's Response to Venezuelan Mass Migration | Colombia | 2023-2024 | "More than 6.1 million refugees and migrants have left Venezuela due to the political turmoil, socio-economic instability, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis" (IOM). "Even early in the crisis (2018), when only one million had fled, it was deemed the largest-ever refugee crisis in Latin America" (CDP). As of 2022, "Close to 2.5 million Venezuelans are living in Colombia, having fled their home country's economic collapse and political crisis" (International Crisis Group). However, "there has been a steady increase in the number of Venezuelans returning from host countries, motivated mainly by the lack of integration opportunities and cases of intolerance and xenophobia, as well as the desire for family reunification..." (UNHCR). This Alternative Break trip would look to learn first-hand the impacts of Venezuelan mass migration on surrounding countries, specifically Colombia because it has received the largest number of migrants. Through conversations with community partners and migrants themselves, students will be able to gain a holistic understanding of the current crisis. The goal is to understand better how community organizers are responding and reacting to the mass migration and, in the process, see how Colombia's government and immigration policies affect migrants' integration into society. Students will gain insight into initiatives or tactics that have or have not been effective in supporting migrants in Colombia. With a look into Colombia's current climate, students can reflect on their experiences and knowledge in and of the U.S. and how it deals with or views mass migration. Students will be exposed to different possibilities of how we can be agents of change and gain new perspectives on how we can better shape our individual advocacy efforts and strides towards social justice, considering Colombia's current situation parallels that of the United States, with the U.S. having more immigrants than any country in the world (PEW) and 545,000 Venezuelan immigrants in 2021 (MPI). | |
| Reproductive and Sexual Education | New Orleans, LA | 2023-2024 | Through the creation of this Alternative Break trip, we want to explore further the current state at which sex education, healthy relationships, decision-making, gender identity, reproductive health, and STIs are being taught to the youth in Louisiana and the daily impacts it has. While exploring these topics, we will work and listen to community partners, educators, and grassroots organizations. When we return to Washington, D.C., we will continue to advocate for sexual education in schools using the knowledge gained from this trip. | |
| Combating Xenophobia: The Impact of Resettlement | Cape Town, South Africa | 2022-2023 | Investigate the globally unheard stories of xenophobic violence in South Africa by focusing on the experience of asylum-seekers in the country. | Refugee Legal and Advocacy Center, Scalabrini Center of Cape Town, Adonis Musati Project, Church Unity Commission, One South Africa Movement |
| Building Community Initiative in Autonomy & Sustainable Development | Puerto Rico | 2022-2023 | Learn about the initiatives of grassroots organizations to reclaim Puerto Rico’s power and autonomy while aiding in island reconstruction efforts, infrastructure development, and community empowerment. | Vamos Puerto Rico, Puerta de Tierra No Se Vende, Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martin Peña |
| Exploring Maternal Health: A Public Health Crisis | virtual (New Orleans, LA) | 2021-2022 | Explore and understand maternal health & maternal mental health through the lens of practitioners, community organizations, doulas, and midwives. | Fourth Trimester & Beyond; Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies; New Orleans Maternal and Child Health Coalition |
| Migration of Eritreans & Ethiopians in DC | Washington, D.C. | 2021-2022 | Investigate the reasons for forced and voluntary migration of Eritreans & Ethiopians. Disover their unique contribution to the D.C. Community. | Ethiopian Community Development Council; Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research; Eritrean Community Center; Oromo Community Organization |
| Food Justice Matters | Washington, D.C. | 2021-2022 | Examine the history of food movements, food insecurity, and current efforts to promote food justice. | Bread for the City; The Potter House; Capital Area Food Bank; Anacostoa Community Museum |
| Revolution Begins at Home: Trasnational Student Organizing | Hybrid West Virginia | 2021-2022 | Build beyond the theoretical and dive into cross-solidarity organizing practices, from South Africa to the U.S. (trip was changed to West Virgina due to COVID-19) | Mandesi & Community Theater; Fees Must Fall; Bo-Kaap; University of Cape Town |
| Youth & Community Empowerment | Hybrid West Virginia | 2021-2022 | Learn about education accessibility and how community empowerment is utilized to overcome barriers youth face in Honduran communites. (trip was changed to West Virgina due to COVID-19) | Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE); Radio Progreso; Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación; ASIDE; Red de Mujeres de El Progreso |
| Sovereignty and Stewardship: The Pipeline Problem | Washington, D.C. | 2021-2022 | Discover tribal sovereignty and environmental stewardship and explore how extractive economies are a fundamental threat to both. | White Earth Land Recovery Project; White Earth Tribal and Community College; Minnesota Chippewa Tribe; Army Corp of Engineers in DC |
| Access To Education: Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone | 2021-2022 | Examine the roles gender, disability, and geography play in the Sierra Leone education system. | University of Makeni; Street Child; Joseph's School for the Hearing Impaired; Bo School; FAWE |
| Health Inequities | virtual (Detroit, MI) | 2020-2021 | Examine the social and structural barriers that limit individuals and their community’s ability to be healthy. | Focus: Hope; Mothering Justice |
| Transformative Change and Justice | virtual (South Africa) | 2020-2021 | Learn from South African leaders and activists to understand their methology and movements in order to apply these lessons in our own lives and at American University. | National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences; University of Cape Town, Bathande Reading Club; Khayelitsha Art School and Rehabilitation Centre; |
| School-to-Prison Pipeline | virtual (Chicago, IL) | 2020-2021 | Bring awareness to the school to prison pipeline issue while advocating for public school students across the US through the intersection of public health and education. | Chicago Public Schools; ACLU; University of Chicago |
| Food Insecurity | virtual (Memphis, TN) | 2020-2021 | Examine the causes and consequences of food insecurity within marginalized communities. | Capital Area Food Bank; The Works inc |
| Indigenous Sovereignty and Environmentalism | virtual (Navajo Nation) | 2020-2021 | Explore the idea of sovereignty as a verb and how it presents itself through both law and natural conservation particularly as it pertains to tribal sovereignty in the United States. | Little Shell Chippewa Tribe; Curyung Tribal Council; DOI Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs; Holland & Knight's Public Policy and Regulation Group; National Council of the National Museum of the American Indian; Dillingham school district; Húuyee tlaayd ‘La’áaygaas, LLC; Water First; |
| Climate Change and Environmental Justice | virtual (Parismina, Costa Rica) | 2020-2021 | Explore environmental justice and the role that we play as individuals in the movement. | American University - Office of Sustainability, Washington College of Law, Office of Merit Awards |
| Education Access and Youth Empowerment | virtual (El Progreso, Honduras) | 2020-2021 | Collaborate with OYE staff and students to design projects around community engagement to implement in our own localities. | OYE |
| Peacebuilding After Conflict | virtual (Bosnia and Herzegovina) | 2020-2021 | Anaylze systemic factors related to the 1992 Genocide and Conflict in order to learn how to integrate peace building efforts in our respective communities. | Remembering Srebrenica; War Childhood Museum |
| Genocide Recognition | virtual (Armenia) | 2020-2021 | Learn about the culture and people who refused to be erased from history, and the path it took to gain sympathy, understanding, and connectivity in a world that claims to be more connected than ever. | Nexus at Cape Henry Collegiate; Never Again Rwanda; The American Who Stayed; Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect; Dydine Umunyana |
| Peace and Reconciliation | Bosnia | 2019-2020 | Partner with local advocates leading the community in both remembering and rebuilding from the collective trauma of genocide | Center for Nonviolent Action; Balkan Investigative Reporting Network |
| Environmental Degradation | Laos & Vietnam | 2019-2020 | Examined the effects of climate change and learned from NGOs working to combat environmental degradati | Vietnam Women’s Union; PanNature; MAG International; Jai Lao Foundation; Lao Textiles; Mekong River Commission; USAID |
| Inequality in Health and Education | South Africa | 2019-2020 | Explore the historical and present day contexts of how racial identity effects health care, education, and standard of living. | Grandmothers Against Poverty & AIDS; Desmond Tutu HIV/AIDS Clinic; South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union; Sonke Gender Justice Mission; Fees Must Fall |
| Indigenous Peoples' Rights | North Carolina & Tennessee | 2019-2020 | Pair history with activism in showing the contemporary needs of indigenous peoples in the United States, stemming from a history of colonization, assimilation, and deprivation. | Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; Once Upon a Time in Appalachia |
| Women in Agriculture | Haiti | 2019-2020 | Explored women's health, environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, and gender dynamics in rural Haitian communities. | Na Sonje; Fonkoze; OSAPO; Groundswell; Partneriat pour le Developpemnet Local |
| Peace and Reconciliation | Israel & Palestine | 2019-2020 | A dual-narrative immersive experience into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the prospects for peace. | Mejdi Tours |
| Peace and Reconciliation | Northern Ireland | 2019-2020 | Examine the impact of "The Troubles" and Brexit on Northern Ireland's efforts towards peace and reconciliation. | Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation; Council for Integrated Education Northern Ireland; Stormont, Northern Ireland Assembly |
| Immigration Law and Justice | Chula Vista, CA | 2019-2020 | Explore the social and legal barriers facing entry into the U.S. through engagement, discussion, and community work with aid organizations along the Mexico - US border. | Border Angels; American Friends Service Committee; Immigration Justice Project; La Maestra Community Health Center |
| QTPOC Histories | San Francisco, CA | 2019-2020 | Honor the legacies of queer and trans people of color in San Francisco and shed light on the issues this community still faces today. | GLBT Archives; Lavender Seniors; El/La Para TransLatinas; Openhouse |
| Youth Development | Honduras | 2019-2020 | Learn and understand the dynamics of youth development in the context of Honduras and how community organizations work to address these challenges. | Organization for Youth Empowerment |
| Education and Inequality | Puerto Rico | 2019-2020 | Examine the economic, political, and social inequalities in Puerto Rico's public education system. | Instituto Nueva Escuela; P.E.C.E.S. Humacao; UPR Rio Piedras; Cayey |
| Post Conflict Recovery | Vietnam | 2018-2019 | Explore topics of post-conflict recovery, international development, and global governance and identify the role U.S. citizens can play to help with post-conflict recovery focusing on Agent Orange and UXO victims assistance and land remediation. | Tu Du Peace Village; Project Renew; MAG International; Friendship Village Project; Greenhub; Danang Sustainable City Development Project |
| Identity | Tanzania | 2018-2019 | Examine the interplay of complicated identities within a country founded on the ideals of pan-africanism, and how Tanzanian social and political history has transformed the notion of a “pan-african state”. | United African Alliance Community Center; MS Training Center for Community Development |
| Understanding Race | Cuba | 2018-2019 | Understanding race in 21st century Cuba by looking at culture, religion, history, and economics. | Cuba Educational Travel |
| Inequity in Education | New Orleans, LA | 2018-2019 | Examine inequities in education in New Orleans resutling from racism and environmental injustice. | Boys and Girls Club, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Kipp Central City Academy, Puentes New Orleans |
| Impacts of International Aid | Haiti | 2018-2019 | Challenge single narratives and any preconceptions of Haiti and reconsider the impact of international aid. | Na Sonje; Fonkoze; OSAPO |
| Immigration | McAllen, TX | 2018-2019 | Understand the root causes of the current immigration crisis, including U.S. foreign policy intervention, and policies and challenges that affect the immigrant community. | Proyecto Azteca; Humanitarian Respite Center; South Texas Human Rights Center |
| Youth Empowerment | Uzbekistan | 2018-2019 | Exploring youth development, empowerment and leadership to stimulate democratic, political, and economic reforms in Uzbekistan. | Youth Union of Uzbekistan; SOS Children's Villages; and Center for Youth with Disabilities |
| Peace and Reconciliation | Northern Ireland | 2018-2019 | Delve into Northern Ireland’s peacebuilding efforts following “The Troubles" in light of Brexit and rising ethnonationalism globally. | Glencree Peace and Reconciliation Centre; Queen's University Belfast; New-Bridge Integrated College |
| Women and Youth Empowerment | Rwanda | 2018-2019 | Explore women and youth empowerment strategies in reconciliation and rebuilding following the 1994 genocide. | Women for Women International; Never Again Rwanda; National University of Rwanda; Nyamirambo Women’s Center |
| From Grassroots to Government: Social Development | Rwanda | 2017-2018 | How non-profits, NGOs, and the Rwandan government interact on social empowerment and how is affects development in the country. | Les Enfants de Dieu; Women for Women International – Rwanda; Rwanda Youth Solution Organization (RYSO) |
| Life Behind Bars: A Look Into Modern Day Servitude, Legal Biases, and the Criminal "Justice" System | San Francisco, CA | 2017-2018 | Examine the flaws of the criminal justice system and its direct influence on people of color. | Delancey Street Foundation; San Francisco Sheriff's Department; Prison University Project; Ella Baker Center for Human Rights; Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice; Northern California Innocence Project; Prison Radio; Project Avary |
| Ghosts of War: Post-Conflict Recovery Four Decades Later | Vietnam | 2017-2018 | Learn about the lasting remnants of the US-Vietnam war still affecting communities decades later, particularly mines and chemical agents. | Impress Travel company; Project Renew; Mine Action Center |
| Afro, Putagee, or Indian?: An Examination of Race & LGBTQ+ Identity | Guyana | 2017-2018 | Implications of being LGBTQ in the Caribbean, awareness of racial differences in the West Indies, and developing a greater understanding of West Indian culture. | The Guyana Rainbow Foundation; the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination; University of the West Indies; University of Guyana |
| Haitian Voices: Reconsidering International Aid | Haiti | 2017-2018 | Understand the effects of international development from the perspective of those receiving the aid. | Na Sonje; OSAPO |
| Creative Impact: Youth Empowerment in Honduras | Honduras | 2017-2018 | Understanding youth empowerment, community leadership, and community change. | Organization for Youth Empowerment |
| Stolen Education: The Inequity of Education, Race, and Political Power | New Orleans, LA | 2017-2018 | Learn Hurricane Katrina’s enduring effect on New Orleans focusing on how historic inequity affects race political power, policy, & environmental Justice. | Boys Hope Girls Hope; Apex Youth Center; Children's Bureau of New Orleans; Lower 9th Ward History Museum; RENew Charter Academy; The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University; Teach For America; KIPPCenter Discover Fest |
| Dalit Rights and Education in India. | India | 2017-2018 | Access to education and empowerment in rural Tamil Nadu through Dalit communities. | Communities Rising |
| Arts as Resistance | South Africa | 2017-2018 | Learn the history of South African art as a tool for political resistance. | Lynedoch Ecovillage; Fees Must Fall; Mandela House in Soweto |
| At a Crossroads: The Navigation of Migration and Community | McAllen, TX | 2017-2018 | Focus on issues and experiences surrounding communities affected by U.S. Immigration policy on the Texas - Mexico Border. | Humanitarian Respite Center; South Texas Human Rights Center |
| Ghosts of War: Post-Conflict Recovery in Vietnam | Vietnam | 2016-2017 | Explore the enduring and devastating legacy Agent Orange and unexploded ordinances on Vietnamese communities. | Peace Village at Tu Du Hospital; Project RENEW; MAG International; Pacific Links Foundation; Friendship Village Project |
| OUT OF THE CLOSET, OFF OF THE STREETS: | San Francisco, CA | 2014-2015 | Exampined the interesction of homelessness and LGBTQ rights and seek to understand how communities are responding to the needs of queer and trans homeless youth. | Larkin Street Youth Services; LYRIC; The Family Acceptance Project; The SF Center; Trans Thrive |
| Haitian Identity, Immigration, and Human Rights In the Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | 2014-2015 | Explore the social justice themes of identity, immigration and human rights behind the Dominican/Haitian identity. | MOSCTHA; Declaro Mis Derechos |
| Community Organizing in the Favelas: Striving for Education | Brazil | 2014-2015 | Understand the perspectives of favela community organizers working to fill gaps caused by the lack of promised government supported social services. | Ser Alzira de Aleluia; Catalytic Communities; FICA |
| Niños Sin Frontera De La Frontera: Child Immigration, Asylum, Security and Community | El Paso, TX | 2014-2015 | Examines child migration along the U.S.- Mexico border, and explores ideas and definitions of asylum, global and national security and community identity. | Annunciation House; Border Awareness Experience; Sin Fronteras Farmworker Center |
| Women and Youth Development in a Post Conflict Region | Rwanda | 2014-2015 | Engagement and discuss with women, youth, survivors and perpetrators in Rwanda to learn about the countryʼs history and how it is moving forward. | OPDE; Peace Dialogue Foundation; Rwandan Youth Solutions Organization; National University of Rwanda; Association of Medical Students of Rwanda; Safer Rwanda; Twiyunge; Institute of Research for Dialogue and Peace; Search for Common Ground; Women for Women International; Never Again Rwanda |
| Education and Dalit Rights | India | 2014-2015 | Focus on opportunities that education brings to Dalit children and the importance of universal education for oppressed people. | Communities Rising |
| Education: Foundation of a succesful democracy in Burma | Burma | 2013-2014 | Focus on education as a platform for social empowerment, and how certain NGOs are working to support increased freedoms from recent democratic reforms. | EarthRights International; Best Friends Library; Ta’ang Student and Youth Organization |
| Effects of Poverty on Chicago Youth | Chicago, IL | 2013-2014 | Explores the effects of poverty on Chicago inner-city youth and their access to education, health, and housing. | World Vision; Chicago Food Bank; Peace Corner Youth Center; Safe Start Program; Mercy Youth Home |
| U.S. Corn Belt: Food and Labor Justice in the Agriculture Industry | Iowa, Kansas & Missouri | 2013-2014 | Exampine the complex process of our food system – from seed to our plate and the injustices that occur along the way which impact farmers, the environment, and food access. | Iowa State University; School of Agriculture; Seed Savers Exchange; Iowa Farmers Union; Cultivate Kansas City; Harvesters Community Food Network; DuPont Pioneer; Land Institute; Iowa Soybean Association |
| Cuba: Post-Revolution Race and Identity | Cuba | 2013-2014 | Explore how individuals understand and construct their racial identities based on their skin color, lineage, education, and economic means. | La Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina; La Casa de África; Centro Memorial Martin Luther King Jr.; National Center for Sex Education; University of Havana ; Organoponico Vivero Farming Cooperative in Alamar; Asociación Cultural Yoruba de Cuba |
| D.C.: Injustices in Urban Education | Washington, D.C. | 2013-2014 | Explore how DC is one of the most literate cities in the country but how it also has one of the lowest performing public school systems. | Latin American Youth Center; City Year; DC Reads; Empower DC |
| Community Resilience and the Strugle for Environmental Rights after Genocide | Guatemala | 2013-2014 | Learn about environmental destruction and the lack of consultation for resource-extracting megaprojects. | Guatemalan Families of the Disappeared; Guatemalan Human Rights Commission; Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala; Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, Community of Rio Negro, Cultural and Historical Center of Rabinal, Mother Earth Association, Nueva Esperanza School, U.S. State Department |
| Microfinance, Healthcare, and Women as Agents of Development | Haiti | 2013-2014 | Focus on women’s access to healthcare and financial services. | N'a Sonje Foundation; Grace Children's Hospital; Fonkoze |
| The Refugee Voice: African Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Israel | Israel | 2013-2014 | Focus on human rights issues facing African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel. | African Refugee Development Center; Physicians for Human Rights; Amnesty International; Human Rights Watch; The Hotline for Migrant Workers; Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers; Refugee Rights Clinic at Tel Aviv University; Refugee Rights Clinic at Tel Aviv University; The Refugee Voice; The Knesset; UNHCR |
| Rapid Development’s Consequences on Marginalized Ethnic Groups | Turkey | 2013-2014 | Explores the effects of urbanization and gentrification on ethnic minority groups. | First Union Church of Istanbul; Sulukule Volunteers Association; Tarlabasi Toplum Merkezi; Tarlabasi Mutfak |
| The Intersections of Urbanization: Effects on Nairobi’s Transportation and Public Health System | Kenya | 2013-2014 | Learn about the marginalization of urban dwellers caused by development and modernization. | Lea Toto; UN Habitat; Kenyatta National Hospital; University of Nairobi; Kenya Railways, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Urban Planning |
| Housing Justice and Grassroots Community Organizing | Mexico | 2013-2014 | Explore themes of dignified housing as a human right, community organizing; social change; solidarity and collectivism. | Mexico Solidarity Network; Frente Popular Franciso Villa Independiente |
| Healing and Youth Development | Rwanda | 2013-2014 | Engage Rwandans on issues of development, reconciliation and particularly youth empowerment. | Never Again Rwanda; Kimisagara Youth Center; Les Enfants de Dieu; Rwandan Youth Organization Solution; National University of Rwanda; Youth Initiative for Environmental Protection; Rwandan Village Concept Project; University Students Association, OPDE; MEDASR (Association of Medical Student of Rwanda) |
| Education and Dalit Rights | India | 2013-2014 | Focus on the opportunities that education brings to Dalit children and the importance of universal education for oppressed people. | Communities Rising |