2023 site leaders sitting and standing on stairs in front of the CASE building

Become a Site Leader for Alternative Breaks!

Go all in! CU Alternative Breaks are immersive, community-based service opportunities that all students can engage in during their breaks from the academic year. Alternative Breaks offers week-long, meaningful projects where teams of college students collaborate to make a difference through active citizenship, experiential learning and leadership development all while exploring a different location in the US.

Required Qualifications

  • Must be a current, full-time, fee-paying undergraduate or graduate student at CU Boulder. Students must be paying the Student Activity Fee, which supports CUSG student activities.
  • Must have completed a minimum of 24 lower division credits.
  • Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
  • Availability to attend and lead an Alternative Breaks program, and participate in all site leader trainings.
  • Must be able to meet in-person for trainings, retreats and events listed in the Required Attendance section below.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of, respect of and sensitivity to issues experienced by historically underrepresented communities.
  • Demonstrated ability and willingness to effectively communicate, collaborate and organize both individually and as part of a team.
  • Demonstrated passion, commitment to and willingness to learn about social issues and social change.

​Preferred Qualifications

  • Interest in community engagement and service.
  • Previous leadership and/or group facilitation experience.
  • Knowledge and/or experience working with nonprofits, or with similar topics around social justice.

  • Implement the Alternative Breaks curriculum with co-site leader.
  • Meet with Alternative Breaks group during weekly site leader training throughout the fall and spring semesters.
  • Participate in group volunteer projects with the Volunteer Resource Center before your Alternative Breaks experience.
  • Develop spring break itinerary.
  • Work with community partners to schedule service projects and supplement learning experiences.
  • Build community among your group before, during and after the program.
  • Engage in planning the Spring Break program, including securing housing, managing the program budget and recruiting participants.
  • Faciliate reveal event, pre-departure meetings and reorientation.
  • Lead your Alternative Breaks group during direct service, through reflection, logistics and any interpersonal conflict.
  • Implement philosopihes of the Volunteer Resource Center and the Alternative Breaks program.
  • Faciliate the learning of your group around issues of intersectionality and social and environmental injustices.

If any of the listed responsibilities, duties or expectations are not upheld, site leaders will not be entitled to compensation.

  • Fulfill responsibilities and duties required of site leaders.
  • Participate in all pre- and post-trip meetings, educational and team builidng activites, and co-lead orientation and trainings.
  • Serve as a role model for Alternative Breaks participants.
  • Be open to learning about yourself and others.
  • Be respectful of diverse communities, cultural norms and values, and protected identities.
  • Adhere to the CU Student Code of Conduct before, during and after the program.
  • Refrain from use of alcohol, substances and drugs for the duration of the spring break experience and during any affiliated program or event.
  • Understand the Alternative Breaks terms and conditions.
  • Understand and uphold the Volunteer Resource Center’s mission and service philosophy.
  • Attend other leadership and social justice training opportunities outside of Alternative Breaks whenever possible.

Site leader training will prepare student-leaders to facilitate group learning that is centered around intersectionality, as well as the complexity, of varied social and environmental injustices. Through training, students will be able to value and implement ideas of reciprocity, active citizenship, community building and culturally competent leadership.

  • The site leader position requires student-leaders to fulfill program duties and tasks, which will require them to contribute time outside of scheduled training and events.
  • Site leaders must complete all training sessions, which will occur weekly (approximately two hours) throughout the fall and spring semesters.
  • Site leaders must attend and fully engage in all Alternative Breaks events, including the fall leadership retreat, reveal event, pre-departure meetings, the entirety of their Alternative Spring Breaks program and reorientation.

In addition to the trainings and events below, site leaders are expected to assist in recruiting participants for Alternative Breaks. Dates and times for trainings and events are subject to change; the Alternative Breaks leadership team will notify site leaders of changes as information becomes available.

  • Site Leader Training: Weekly trainings will be held throughout the fall semester beginning the week of Oct. 2 through Dec. 15, 2023, and resume the week of Jan. 15 through April 12, 2024.
  • Fall Leadership Retreat: Site leaders will engage in an overnight retreat Friday, Oct. 20–Sunday, Oct. 22 in Keystone, CO.
  • Reveal: Week of Feb. 26; time and location TBA.
  • Pre-departure Meetings: Weekly meetings with participants from March 4-22, 2024 ; time and location TBA.
  • Alternative Spring Break: Saturday, March 23–Sunday, March 31, 2024.
  • Reorientation: Week of April 8; time and location TBA.

The Alternative Breaks leadership team looks forward to seeing your application for our 2023-24 site leaders!

  • Site leader application opens: Application is now open! Access the application through CUServes using your CU IdentiKey
  • Site leader application closes: Sept. 18, 2023.
  • Site leader interviews: Sept. 19-21, 2023.
  • Site leader contracts will be sent to students shortly after the interview process.