Alternative Service Break Program Details

As our name implies, we exist primarily as a service organization. Throughout your service trip, you will have many opportunities to engage with the local community and experience a new culture and a group of people. However, the primary goal of a UK ASB trip is to serve. Service can be found in a variety of ways, whether it be building a home, teaching English, feeding people experiencing homelessness, or mentoring youth. In the eyes of UK ASB, no act of service we do is worth more than any other act of service. All service performed can be impactful. As a program, we invest a large amount of time and research to ensure that the sites we partner with will allow UK students, staff, and faculty to serve up to 8 hours every day throughout their trip. Because you are on a service trip, you will more than likely experience conditions that you are not used to. This may include, but is not limited to, cold showers, lack of heat/AC, shared rooms, and smaller meal sizes. As UK ASB operates as a service-immersion program, it is necessary to have immersive service for a successful trip.

Working in service programs at a new location and in a new living situation can be stressful. Loneliness, homesickness, and anxiety may occur and unforeseen mental health issues may arise. Your service experience does not mean you should stop on-going personal care strategies. If you are being treated for a mental health issue, please work proactively with a professional to come up with a strategy to identify and address issues that may arise during your UK ASB experience. This strategy should include: 1) A list of warning signs and positive coping techniques that you can use while on your ASB trip and 2) A plan for how you will access support if you start feeling worse, helpless or out of control. Furthermore, please be sure to raise any personal concerns, including those related to your mental health, with your ASB Site Advisors or Site Leaders prior to your trip departure, so they can assist you in the execution of your personal care strategies.

The University of Kentucky Alternative Service Breaks program aims to promote active citizenship among UK students, faculty, and staff by providing service experiences that are educationally and personally transformative. As such, it is imperative that volunteers engage fully in all aspects of the UK ASB program, including required meetings before, during, and after their actual service trip. These requirements ensure that our volunteers fulfill, to the best of their ability, the commitment they make to our program, to their service team, and to the community. These requirements also ensure that our program fulfills, to the best of our ability, the commitment we make to provide safe and meaningful service experiences.

Because UK ASB strives to provide the highest quality alternative service breaks possible, we require that all volunteers fulfill both pre-trip and post-trip obligations relevant to their experience. These include but are not limited to*:

Attending one pre-trip group interview to finalize your trip placement (for participants, only), Attending all Pre-Connect Meetings (pre-determined, inclusive of training, orientation, and education), Participating in the annual UK ASB Letter Drive, Attending one Re-Connect Gathering (pre-determined, inclusive of reunion and reorientation activities

A participant’s failure to successfully fulfill these obligations could result in the forfeiture of their spot on their UK ASB trip. In this case, the participant would be solely responsible for finding a replacement or for paying the full cost of their experience (See Withdrawal Policy below).

To ensure that all UK ASB volunteers enjoy a safe and successful service experience, we require that volunteers stay and move with the group for the duration of their service trip. No volunteer is permitted to arrive late, leave early, or leave the group for any reason (e.g. to visit a friend or relative) on any trip, including international immersions. The group will meet on UK’s campus and travel together to the airport. Following the trip, the group will return from the airport to UK’s campus. All members of the group are required to use UK ASB transportation to and from the airport.

The UK alcohol policy, as described in the UK Code of Student Conduct, extends to UK students who participate in UK ASB-sponsored meetings, events, activities, etc. whether on-campus or off-campus. In alignment with UK’s Alcohol Policy, UK ASB maintains a strict alcohol and drug (including tobacco and tobacco products) free policy that also aligns with our program’s core values.

All UK ASB volunteers are prohibited from consuming alcohol or other drugs at UK ASB-sponsored meetings, events, activities, etc. in order to:

• Ensure the safety of all volunteers on our service trips,
• Maintain focus on the primary purpose of our trip – service,
• Maintain group cohesion among volunteers who are diverse in age, and
• Ensure that a group’s presence in the community does no harm.

Consequences of a volunteer’s failure to adhere to our full-engagement policy are at the leadership team’s discretion and may range from a verbal warning to a volunteer’s expulsion from the program at their own expense. Depending upon the violation, consequences may also include other disciplinary actions through the UK Dean of Students Office and/or legal ramifications through local law enforcement.

In addition to the fulfilling the contracts described above, all UK ASB volunteers are expected to conduct themselves such that they are a positive representations of themselves, UK ASB, and the University of Kentucky at all times. As a University of Kentucky-sponsored program, all Alternative Service Breaks volunteers are bound by the UK Code of Student Conduct throughout their participation in UK ASB. As a representative of UK ASB programs and service teams, all volunteers must also abide by the UK ASB Code of Conduct built on the principles of participation, accountability, and responsibility.

• Deposit fees are paid by applicants after receiving notification of their acceptance to an ASB Spring Break program.
• Deposit fees are considered non-refundable, even if a participant withdraws from the ASB program for any reason or is asked to leave for not meeting program expectations.
• No exceptions will be made for non-refundable deposit fees, even if a participant withdraws due to an emergency.
• For 2025-2026 ASB service immersions, the non-refundable deposit fees are:
  • $10/Student for Weekend Service Trips
  • $25/Student for Half-week, Domestic Service Trips
  • $50/Student for Weeklong, Domestic Service Trips
• If an applicant chooses to be placed on a waitlist for a particular service immersion, UK ASB will not accept a deposit until they are removed from the waitlist and officially given a spot on a trip.
• Deposit fees are considered non-transferrable, even if an applicant vacates their spot and another applicant fills that spot. 

• Once accepted and placed on a trip, students must pay program fees by the deadlines outlined in their acceptance email.
• Missing payment deadlines may result in losing the trip spot without a refund; spots may be given to someone on the waitlist.
• If a participant withdraws or is removed from the program for not meeting expectations, they are responsible for finding a replacement or covering the full trip cost.
• If no replacement is found, participants must pay the remaining balance, unless excused by University of Kentucky policies (e.g., significant illness or death in the immediate family).
• Program fees are all-inclusive, covering transportation, lodging, meals, activities, and materials.
• For international trips, costs for passports, visas, immunizations, and travel insurance are not included and must be paid by participants.

• Participants who wish to withdraw must notify UK ASB in writing via email to the Site Leaders and Director at ukalternativeservicebreaks@uky.edu.
• If a participant withdraws from their assigned trip, they are responsible for finding a replacement or paying the full cost of the service trip, unless there is a waitlist.
• Participants asked to leave for not meeting expectations are also responsible for finding a replacement or paying the full trip cost, assuming there is no waitlist.
• If a replacement cannot be found, participants must cover the remaining balance of the trip, except in cases outlined under the program fees policy.
• Participants who successfully find a replacement will be refunded the amount paid, minus any deposit, scholarship, or grant.

• All deposit fees are non-refundable, without exception.
• If a participant withdraws or is asked to leave and finds a replacement, they will only be refunded in emergencies, and only after the replacement has paid in full.
• Participants who withdraw or are removed for reasons other than emergencies will not be refunded and are still responsible for paying the full trip cost.
• If a participant’s payments, fundraising, and scholarships exceed the trip cost, they may request a refund for the excess amount, but only if they contributed out-of-pocket; fundraised overages are not refundable.
• If a replacement is found after airline tickets are purchased, the original participant is responsible for any ticket change fees or must pay the full cost of the tickets.
• Some costs, such as airfare and service site fees, may not be refundable.
• Participants can donate excess fundraising to the UK ASB Scholarship Fund or to another participant with outstanding payments.

Housing conditions are usually rustic. Think simple and sustainable living. Volunteers will stay in modest housing community centers, local churches, hostels or camp facilities. Certain sites may require participants to bring bedding or a sleeping bag. Site leaders will provide more information prior to departure. If you have any concerns about accommodations or special needs, please email the director at ukalternativeservicebreaks@uky.edu and we will work together on a solution.

The reason that the program fee is non-refundable is that program fees are used by the Office of Family and Civic Engagement to pay for non-recoverable expenses in advance of the trips. An expense becomes non-recoverable when it has already been paid out to a vendor. Non-recoverable expenses vary by individual trip and may include, but are not limited to airfare, housing, program fees, transportation and administrative fees.

This is an important and valid question—one we take seriously. At UK Alternative Service Breaks (ASB), we prioritize building service experiences in close partnership with community organizations. Projects are developed based on the needs and goals identified by the host site, not assumptions made by student teams. We are intentional about avoiding “voluntourism” by focusing on responsible engagement, strong community partnerships, and thorough preparation. While we acknowledge there is always room for improvement, we are committed to continuously refining our approach to ensure our programs are respectful, meaningful, and mutually beneficial.

Over the past several years, UK ASB has made great progress in reducing the cost of our service trips. Our trip costs can be found on our Program Payments page. It is important to us that financial accessibility is not an insurmountable barrier to participation in our program. Therefore, we have several opportunities for individual and group fundraising throughout the year and a scholarship pool which will be awarded to applicants based on need alone.

Absolutely! We have tiers of leadership and involvement, including  participants, site leaders, and executive team membership. If you have a passion for leadership, promotions, graphic design, fundraising, management, teaching, etc., there’s a way we could utilize and expand your talents within our organization!

Imagine spending your break making great memories, exploring a new place, and actually making a difference—all at the same time. You’ll come back with stories, friendships, and experiences you just can’t get in a classroom. Plus, how many people can say they spent their break doing something that truly matters? This could be one of the most meaningful (and fun!) things you do in college.