What is an Alternative Break Trip? Alternative Break programs let you volunteer, perform community service and have unique learning opportunities during your winter break or spring break. By spending time immersed in a community, you’ll learn about your role as a global citizen, make new friends and connections, and discover how you can become an agent of change. After your trip, you’ll be able to share the lessons you learned with your local community, and continue to lead a life of active citizenship. Hear from a past participant HERE!
Who Can Go? Any UB student can apply for the Alternative Break program. Each Alternative Break trip typically has 8-15 student participants, two student Team Leaders and two Staff Advisers.
What is the program schedule? Throughout the week, each team will participate in multiple half days of service (typically mornings) and then a half day of tourism, exploration and team building. In the evening there will be group meals and nightly reflections. You must commit to participating in the entire trip.
2022 Trips
Poverty Alleviation, March 21 – March 25, 2022
Civic Engagement, March 21 – March 25, 2022
Environmental Justice, March 21 – March 25, 2022
Application and Selection Process: There is one application for all of our Alternative Break trips. You can find the application on UBLinked under Student Engagement’s forms section. Your application is complete when you submitted the form and provided the name and contact information of one (1) reference. Applications can also be submitted using the following link: https://buffalo.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/494499
Application Questions include general background information as well as:
Why do you want to participate in an Alternative Break trip? What do you hope to gain from the experience?
What can you contribute to this experience? Please describe the role you play in a group/on a team.
UB is a global university that values experiential learning and diverse perspectives. If selected, how would you bring what you learn back to the UB and/or the Buffalo community?
Selection Process:
Team Leaders will review applications
Applicants will be offered a short 20-30 minute interview with our Alternative Break Team Leaders ( 2 students who have participate in a trip before)
Team Leaders will select their teams!
All applications are due by November 5, 2021 at 12pm!
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is Saturday, November 13th! Calling all ents, loraxes, and lovers of trees – We’ve got 100 trees to plant and we need your help!
Join your friends, family & neighbors as we plant in Dewey Park in Buffalo’s Masten District on Saturday, November 13th starting at 9AM.
Tools, training & light refreshments will be provided. Wear boots and your finest tree planting attire!
WHAT: Dewey Park Tree Planting WHEN: Saturday, November 13th at 9am WHERE: Dewey Park – 494 Kensington Avenue (street parking is available although we highly recommend carpooling!) WHY: Trees have innumerable benefits, including improved air quality, water conservation, energy savings, reduced stress and improved mental health just to name a few
What is an Alternative Break Trip? Alternative Break programs let you volunteer, perform community service and have unique learning opportunities during your winter break or spring break. By spending time immersed in a community, you’ll learn about your role as a global citizen, make new friends and connections, and discover how you can become an agent of change. After your trip, you’ll be able to share the lessons you learned with your local community, and continue to lead a life of active citizenship. Hear from a past participant HERE!
Who Can Go? Any UB student can apply for the Alternative Break program. Each Alternative Break trip typically has 8-15 student participants, two student Team Leaders and two Staff Advisers.
What is the program schedule? Throughout the week, each team will participate in multiple half days of service (typically mornings) and then a half day of tourism, exploration and team building. In the evening there will be group meals and nightly reflections. You must commit to participating in the entire trip.
2022 Trips
· Poverty Alleviation, March 21 – March 25, 2022
· Civic Engagement, March 21 – March 25, 2022
· Environmental Justice, March 21 – March 25, 2022
Application and Selection Process: There is one application for all of our Alternative Break trips. You can find the application on UBLinked under Student Engagement’s forms section. Your application is complete when you submitted the form and provided the name and contact information of one (1) reference. Applications can also be submitted using the following link: https://buffalo.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/494499
Application Questions include general background information as well as:
· Why do you want to participate in an Alternative Break trip? What do you hope to gain from the experience?
· What can you contribute to this experience? Please describe the role you play in a group/on a team.
· UB is a global university that values experiential learning and diverse perspectives. If selected, how would you bring what you learn back to the UB and/or the Buffalo community?
Selection Process:
· Team Leaders will review applications
· Applicants will be offered a short 20-30 minute interview with our Alternative Break Team Leaders ( 2 students who have participate in a trip before)
· Team Leaders will select their teams!
All applications are due by November 5, 2021 at 12pm!
716 Squash is a long-term and intensive youth development organization. We empower youth in the city of Buffalo to reach their full potential by providing life-changing opportunities through education, mentoring, service, and the sport of squash.
The main focus of our program is supporting our individual student’s academic needs. We are looking for volunteers to help our 6th-9th graders with their homework in various subjects. Volunteers work with 1-3 students with guidance from our Director of Education, Sarah.
We have volunteer opportunities Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 3:30-6. Our ask is that volunteers try to commit to the same day of the week so they can work with the same students. The best-case scenario for us is someone volunteering once a week, but we’ve had success with other scenarios and have a lot of flexibility.
For more information, please direct students to www.716squash.org. Any interested volunteers can email Sarah@716squash.org to learn more and get started!
Learn more about Alternative Break trips and travel locations through our online information sessions in September! We are excited to offer trips focusing on social justice issues during the 2021-22 academic calendar, including:
Civic Engagement
Environmental Justice
Poverty Alleviation
Refugee Resettlement
Alternative Break programs let you volunteer, perform community service and have unique learning opportunities during your winter or spring break. You’ll learn about your role as a global citizen, make new friends and connections, and discover how you can become an agent of change.
Accessibility Resources is looking for Peer Notetakers! Peer Notetakers provide an essential service that helps ensure equal access to education for students who receive accommodations. Students often find volunteering to be a Peer Notetaker enhances the classroom experience by encouraging more thorough, quality notes. If all notes are submitted, notetakers will receive a letter of service for their volunteer hours, or if they qualify, a small honoraria.
If you are interested in becoming a Peer Notetaker, please send your class schedule, including class sections, to stu-notes@buffalo.edu. We are able to accept Notetakers on a first come, first serve basis.
Boys On the Right Track is coming to Williamsville this fall.
By signing up to coach for our program, you are giving boys the opportunity to connect, grow and learn how to navigate difficult situations through running.
If you are interested in serving as a Peer Mentor in the Honors Connections Program during the 2021-2022 academic year, please fill out our onlineapplication by Friday, June 25th.
The Honors College Peer Mentor Program is designed to help first-year Honors students adjust to life at UB and to the Honors College experience. Our intent is that through this program, our incoming students feel welcome at UB and excited to be a part of the Honors College family.
As an Honors Connections Program Mentor, you will be asked to communicate with your assigned first-year student(s) within two weeks of receiving their contact information, which will be around mid-July. In addition, you will be expected to:
Meet with your mentee(s) during the first two weeks of classes via zoom or in-person
Encourage participation in Honors College and campus-wide activities
Help answer general questions or concerns your mentee(s) may have
In general, we hope that each mentor will help make the transition to college a little easier for our new Honors College scholars.
If selected, Honors Peer Mentors will be required to submit a mini-profile of themselves to be shared with their peer mentee, including a photo.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email honors@buffalo.edu and we will reply as soon as we are able.
Calling all ents, loraxes, and lovers of trees – We’ve got 100 trees to plant and we need your help!
