VOLbreaks
Register for Fall VOLbreaks! VOLbreaks Scholarship & Fee Waiver
About VOLbreaks
Engaging students in diverse, quality alternative breaks so they become active and educated members of society.
The University of Tennessee has held VOLbreaks community service trips for students since 1993. The VOLbreaks program allows students to engage in direct service in collaboration with communities around the world. Students who participate spend their fall or spring breaks learning about critical challenges facing communities, interacting with local leaders, and performing short-term projects with community agencies.
“One of my goals has always been to leave our UT community better than I found it. Going on a VOLbreak has not only allowed me to make connections with awesome students/faculty on campus, but has also expanded my perspective to leave the global community better than I found it.”
Foundations of VOLbreaks
The Community Collaborator Continuum is the driving force behind our work with VOLbreaks and is also why we utilize the 9 Components of Quality Community Engagement in our VOLbreak planning and execution. As illustrated with the model below, VOLbreaks can become much more than just memorable volunteer trips. These experiences can be a powerful catalyst for a transformed worldview where a volunteer’s perspective of their place in society changes to one of life-long social action.
Along with the Community Collaborator Continuum and 9 Components of Quality Community Engagement, VOLbreaks uses the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals to guide our program. The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the global organization in 2015, and each goal strives to address the world’s most critical issues. Each VOLbreak trip is guided by one or more Sustainable Development Goals. Participants will learn about the relevant goal(s), including the targets and indicators of creating an impact as indicated by the United Nations.
VOLbreaks FAQs
A VOLbreak is a trip where a group of students (usually 10-12 per trip) engage in an immersive community service experience during Fall or Spring breaks. Since 1993, UT students have traveled to 22 states and over 65 cities, engaging in community service efforts that contribute to meaningful social change.
VOLbreaks challenge students to think critically about how to address social issues. After their experience, participants often seek to continue their active citizenship on campus and in their communities.
In addition to service each day, participants should expect to engage in team-building activities and immersive excursions around the city.
The 2024-2025 participant is $175 for fall trips and $250 for spring trips.
Find out more about scholarships & fee waivers!
Every day will be a little different, but the timeline of a ‘typical’ day on a VOLbreak trip is as follows. Students, VOLbreak Leaders (VBLs), and Learning Partners (LPs) participate in the events listed:
VOLbreaks Sample Schedule:
7:00 AM – Breakfast & Pack Lunch
8:00 AM – Depart for Community Partner Site #1
12:00 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – Depart for Community Partner Site #2
5:00 PM – Dinner
7:30 PM – Reflection & Afternoon Activities
The VOLbreaks program fees include transportation to the service site via van. Participants are required to travel with the group during every part of the experience—departing from UTK, driving to service sites throughout the week, and returning to UTK.
Participants are not permitted to leave the experience early or arrange other travel to return to UTK. Participants must sign a waiver agreeing to honor the transportation guidelines and expectations.
Most lodging accommodations are either provided by the host site or determined by the break leaders. Past VOLbreaks participants have stayed in a church, a cabin, or the actual service organization center. Details depend on the trip; however, most locations allow participants to bring an air mattress.
VBLs plan meals and are in charge of shopping for the group.
- Breakfast is typically bagels, muffins, and coffee.
- Lunch is sandwiches packed in the morning.
- Dinners are planned for the group and cooked collectively by the participants.
As part of the communal experience, we challenge teams to closely mirror SNAP accommodations by budgeting $1/person/day for breakfast, $2/person/day for lunch, and $3/person/day for dinner. It’s fun to meal prep and cook for the whole group creatively while learning more about some of our VOLbreak values.
Leaders will have information about food allergies and preferences so the team and partners can accommodate them.
Pre-Trip: Groups will have 2-3 required meetings throughout the semester to learn about their trip’s theme and to provide an opportunity for team-building.
Pre-trip meetings will also include information on the health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, societal, and religious conditions of the host location. If a student cannot attend one or more pre-trip meetings, they must arrange make-up meetings with the VBL to review the material and information covered.
Post-Trip: Groups will have 1 required reorientation meeting to reflect on the trips experiences and continued impacts.
Yes, students who are unable to participate in a trip for its entire duration are ineligible to participate.
We encourage all participants and leaders to bring their full selves to the trip and focus on the experience. However, we understand that it might be helpful to do school work on the trip. Most of this will depend on your trip’s schedule. Ask your leaders if there will be any “down” time that you can use to do homework.