VOLbreaks Learning Partners

There are a lot of acronyms in the VOLbreaks program:
• Participants – Every trip is made up of about 12 selected UT students, or trip participants. Participants are involved in pre-trip meetings and service in addition to bringing back the knowledge they learned on the trip to the community of Knoxville.
• VOLbreaks Leaders (VBLs) – Undergraduate student leaders who are paired together to plan and lead the trips. Some have been on previous AB trips and some have not. The ABLs are trained throughout the semester on different topics such as civility, Break-Away’s Nine Components of Quality Community Engagement, diversity, simple living, and much more!
• VOLbreaks Student Directors (VBSD) – This position is filled by a previous VBL and they work all year to enhance the program. They assist the graduate assistant over the VOLbreaks program with a variety of tasks such as training the VBLs, social media, etc.
• Learning Partners (LPs) – That’s (perhaps) you! LPs are UT faculty, staff, or graduate assistants who support the VBLs before, during and often after the trips. LPs serve in an advisory capacity to enhance the service and learning that happens on each trip. They participate in all service, reflection, and FUN that happens on each trip.

Since 1993, the mission of the VOLbreaks Program is, and has been, to engage students in meaningful and collaborative community service in an effort to increase awareness of social issues and strengthen the communities in which they serve as well as foster a strong sense of community among trip participants and to the university as a whole.
During VOLbreaks trips, students travel in groups (10-15 people total) to new areas where they collaborate with local service agencies to meet specific community needs. Each trip is centered around a service theme that helps students gain a well-rounded perspective of a specific social issue. Students will take steps toward becoming a community collaborator by participating in pre-trip meetings and educational opportunities, meaningful reflections throughout the trip, connecting everything they’ve experienced to the Knoxville community by participating in a pre or post-trip service project, and a post-trip reorientation event. All trips are ‘alcohol and other drug free’ to all participants, no matter their age.

• Fall VOLbreaks – take place during UT’s Fall Break and trip locations must fall within a 5 hour radius of Knoxville.
• Spring VOLbreaks – takes place during UT’s Spring Break and trip locations must fall within an 10 hour radius of Knoxville.

• Winter VOLbreaks – take place during UT’s Winter Break and trip locations must fall within an 10 hour radius of Knoxville.

You should note that every day will be a little different, but a typical day on an Alternative Break starts around 7am for breakfast and ends about 10pm with reflection. All participants (students, VBLs and LPs) are expected to participate in all activities, including service and reflection.

VBLs plan all meals and are in charge of shopping for the group (LPs often help with the food shopping). Breakfast and lunch are ‘on your own’ in the sense that participants can help themselves to bagels, cereals, fruit, sandwich meat, bread, peanut butter, granola bars, etc. Participants are responsible for packing their own lunches from this purchased food. Dinners are planned for the group but are usually cooked by a ‘dinner crew’ (half of the participants) while the other half cleans up. The concept of ‘simple living’ is an important factor of VOLbreaks meal planning. Each participant is allotted $6.75 per day ($1.25 for breakfast, $2.25 for lunch and $3.25 for dinner) in the VOLbreaks food budget. For example, one VOLbreaks dinner can cost $48.75 max to prepare ($3.25 x 15 participants). Meals must stay low-cost because of our adherence to ‘simple living’. Food preferences/intolerances are definitely important to the VOLbreaks leadership and we will make every effort to accommodate. However, if those restrictions require higher-cost items, the participant may be asked to supplement some items due to our low food budget. You are more than welcome to bring your own snacks on any VOLbreaks.

Just like you don’t sign up for an VOLbreaks trip for the filet mignon (see above FAQ), you don’t sign up for the 5 star sleeping quarters either! We obtain free housing 99% of the time to keep our costs low and to live similarly to those we are serving. This means we sleep on church floors, multi-purpose rooms of Salvation Army’s, shower at YMCAs, etc. You should plan on bringing your own sleeping bag and are welcome to bring an air mattress, if you prefer.

There’s not a lot of free time on an VOLbreaks trip! However, you are welcome to talk on the phone, catch up on emails, etc. after reflection when the group usually plays games and settles down for the night. We just ask that you stay present (both mentally and physically) for the VOLbreaks experience. If you know someone in your city, the expectation is that you don’t leave the group. This is an ‘immersion experience’ and for some of the same reasons the experiences are alcohol and drug free, we want the group to stay together to have an immersive experience in this experience.