For several years, a program funded by the Wisconsin Union Directorate called “Alternative Breaks,” has provided University of Wisconsin students the opportunity to travel all over the country during their spring, winter and summer breaks at a low cost. During the trips, students perform various volunteer jobs, while simultaneously gaining a unique educational experience.

UW senior Jaime Gamez has traveled on multiple “alternative break” trips, and serves on the WUD committee that organizes the trips and spreads the word to students around campus. He has gone to sites located in New Orleans and California, and has worked with a broad range of people, such as Alzheimer’s patients, elementary school kids, at-risk teens, homeless people and battered women.

“These are amazing trips that are cheap and provide great volunteer opportunities,” Gamez said. “This year for spring break, we have trips as cheap as $135 for an entire week.”

According to Gamez, students who are accepted to the program climb into one of two vans with usually nine other people who are complete strangers. They then take 10 hour-plus trips to one of the nine possible locations of their site.

Sites this year include San Juan, Texas, New York City and the Everglades in Florida.

UW sophomore Erin Lowy decided to go to Washington, D.C., last spring, and didn’t know what to expect going into it.

“I read about it on a poster and it sounded interesting,” Lowy said. “I didn’t know anyone going into the trip, but I knew I would be part of a team of committed and caring individuals, and it was true.”

Cooperative leadership is one of the main points stressed by the committee. There are no pre-established leaders for the groups, according to the Alternative Breaks application.

Everyone has an equal opinion, which is a challenge at times, Gamez said, because every person in the group must work out all the details of the trip together.

“Learning to cooperate is an important skill that is developed with this experience,” Gamez said, adding this is especially important since you don’t know the people beforehand and everyone is so diverse.

The program as a whole strives to provide an education to students in addition to the volunteer opportunities.

Students not only learn about other cultures and cities around the United States, but also learn new things about the diversities of other students around campus, along with new things about themselves, Gamez said.

“This was in no way a glamorous spring break vacation as chosen by the average college student,” Lowy said. “It was more fulfilling and self-gratifying than that and I saw parts of D.C. that I never would have otherwise seen.”

The Alternative Breaks committee meets every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at the Morgridge Center on the first floor of the Red Gym.

Applications for the upcoming spring break trips are due this Tuesday, Feb. 10. An informational meeting will be held this Sunday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the TITU.

Interested students can visit www.union.wisc.edu/altbreaks for more information about the program.