Alternative Break Experiences

East Carolina University Alternative Break Experiences (ABE) create active citizens and leaders.

Alternative Break Experiences are short-term immersion experiences (ranging from 3-5 days) offered during fall, spring and summer breaks that focus on specific topics like service, leadership and cultural exploration, and strive to address a variety of social causes with communities stretching across six states and around the world!

If you have any specific questions or want to learn more contact Lauren Howard, Director in the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, at howardl16@ecu.edu with any questions or submit your information on the home page.

Current Trips

Spring 2026 Alternative Break Experiences

Serve & Learn in Italy

March 6-14, 2026
Northern Italy (Triento region)

Dolomit – Learning Experiences for the Curious is an independent provider of education abroad programs based in Trentino, the butterfly-shaped province of Northeast Italy. The name “Dolomit” pays homage to one of the most stunning mountain ranges of the world, the Dolomites, a source of identity and pride for the people of this corner of Italy and now a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. Dolomit founders, both trained at a graduate level in the social sciences in the United States, spent half of their lives abroad, and resettled in Trentino in 2014 with the desire to welcome the world to their homeland. Dolomit facilitates dynamic community-driven experiences that enable participants to tackle issues of global concern and foster critical thinking. Dolomit partners with the Giudicarie Ecomuseum and a number of local organizations, cultural institutions, and small family farms and businesses to offer dynamic service-learning centered on the Italian concept of valorizzazione (roughly translated as “enhancement”): the preservation and promotion of the natural and cultural heritage of a community in a sustainable fashion.

The Giudicarie Valley is a relatively marginal district surrounded by major tourist destinations (Lake Garda and Brenta Dolomites). Its economy is based on agriculture and most people commute to nearby towns and main cities for work. There is also a constant flow of younger inhabitants who move away in search of better opportunities. These processes are loosening identity and material ties between inhabitants and their home region. As a result, the awareness of the rich natural and cultural heritage of the area is not widespread among the population, which tends to underestimate its social value and its potential as a resource. This program will contribute to the preservation and promotion of such heritage in a sustainable and community-centered fashion.

Program costs:

  • Program fee: $1,400 (includes lodging, food, ground transportation, and all program activities; payment plans are available.)
  • Roundtrip flight from Dulles airport to Milan (average price from IAD-MXP is $550; students will purchase their own flights separately, but all will travel together from campus to the airport.)
  • This program is offered through ECU’s Center for Student Success and Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, and open to all students. Spaces are limited. Scholarships are available. Course credit is available on a per-student basis.

Students must apply by November 10, 2025 and applications will be reviewed by program staff.

For more information, please contact:

Italy ABE Application

For more information, please contact:

Summer 2026 Global Alternative Break Experience

Serve & Learn in Jamaica

May 11-18, 2026
Westmoreland, Jamaica

In the last 20 years, over 1,500+ participants have served and learned with our partner organization, the Petersfield Galloway Benevolent Society (PGBS), in the sugar producing area of Petersfield. Through this long-standing partnership, programs focus on cultural immersion, social action, and community-based learning. Participants are uniquely embedded into Jamaican culture through homestays and a wide variety of community engagement activities. Participants will arrive to/depart from Montego Bay and spend the program in one of two neighboring communities: Petersfield or Galloway. They will meet with local community and professional leaders; serve on projects developed by and implemented with PGBS members; and explore the country and culture through field trips, local presenters and community events. To affect change on personal and interpersonal levels, structured group reflections and shared learning experiences will enable students to:

  • Strengthen relationships and create shared context
  • Survey the community and develop the courage to open themselves to new perspectives
  • Raise difficulty issues and foster critical reflection
  • Link Jamaican issues to global issues

This program was created to push participants outside of their normal comfort zones and to challenge their assumptions and knowledge about Jamaica. Participants will leave with a strengthened capacity to identify and address key opportunities to develop, support and advocate for change in their home communities.

Program costs:

  • Program fee: $1,300 (includes lodging, food, ground transportation, and all program activities; payment plans and scholarships are available.)
  • Roundtrip flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica (average price from RDU-MBJ is $450; students will purchase their own flights separately, but all will travel together.)

Students must apply by January 19, 2026 and applications will be reviewed by program staff.

Summer Global ABE Application

This program is offered through ECU’s Honors College, Center for Student Success, and Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, and open to all students. Spaces are limited. Scholarships are available.

For more information, please contact:

Previous Alternative Break Experiences

  • Urban Poverty – Atlanta, Georgia
  • Habitat for Humanity – Eustis, Florida
  • Poverty and Healthcare – Baltimore, Maryland
  • Environmental Justice, Sustainability, and Economic Impact – Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
  • Staycation: Poverty and Youth – Greenville, North Carolina
  • Adventure Programs – Florida
  • Leadership and Positive Change – Charleston, South Carolina & Savannah, Georgia
  • Community Focus on Health and Wellness – Roanoke, Virginia
  • Creating Health Futures in Eastern North Carolina – Wilson, North Carolina
  • Youth Empowerment and the Justice System – Columbia, South Carolina
  • Serving the LGBTQ Community – Atlanta, Georgia and Asheville, North Carolina
  • Environmental Justice – Asheville, North Carolina
  • Communication, Conflict, and Community Engagement – Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Hurricane Relief, Land Rights, and Environmental Justice – San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Women Changing Little Washington – Washington, North Carolina
  • Hurricane Recovery – Wilmington, North Carolina
  • Housing and Hurricane Recovery – New Bern, North Carolina
  • Justice and Gender Equity – Durham, NC
  • Exploring Citizenship – City of Oaks
  • Environmental Impact and Justice – Cape Carteret