What the Program Provides You
To participate in the Alternative Break Program (ABP), project leaders must sign an agreement form to ensure they will adhere to a series of expectations.
Funding
The ABP travel grant soley covers travel expenses (domestic and international flights, which the ABP must purchase directly from airlines) for eligible project team members. Grant amounts vary depending on application evaluation. Team members must also contribute a non-refundable contribution ($100 for international travel and $50 for domestic travel), which can be applied towards overall flight costs upon purchase. Teams must comply with Columbia travel and financial policies.
Training
The ABP provides three mandatory trainings for project team members. These trainings occur during the spring semester and emphasize themes such as identity and cultural humility, project development and team management.
Project Support
Based on feedback from preliminary proposals, the ABP staff provides support in a variety of ways. Frequent check-in meetings are held with team members of the ABP-supported projects. Each check-in meeting is to ensure the team is on target with project development, including fundraising, community partner communication and team preparations among others.
Community
The ABP seeks to foster community among each year's project cohort, as well as past cohorts. At trainings and events, such as the Gala, the cohort interacts and learns from the other projects, sharing ideas and experiences relevant to civic engagement.