Some Atlanta college students skip beach trips for service-focused spring break
As the conversation around spring break safety grows, some colleges are offering a different option.
It's called Alternative Spring Break, and programs like the one at Emory University are giving students a more structured way to travel while having fun.
This year, around 50 students traveled to three different cities with a focus on community engagement, earning, and service.
Organizers say the goal is to expand students' perspectives while also providing a safe and more meaningful spring break experience.
"These trips really do afford you an opportunity to look at the nuance, the diversity, the complexity of our cities across the United States and help you have a greater appreciation where you stay, but also helps you also see that where you stay is not necessarily so much different than other places," said James Roland with Campus Life at Emory.
The Emory students traveled to Charlotte, Birmingham, and Charleston during the university's spring break in March for the program.
James says while many students may be looking for fun during spring break, the response to these trips, which happen during both fall and spring breaks, has been overwhelmingly positive.
"It's not excluding fun," James said. "It's just a different type of engagement. We're not the discount. Individuals that want to go to the beach and hang out, there's obviously a time and place for those type of endeavors, but in a time in which we are so disconnected as a society, people are trying to find community, and this provides a great opportunity for students to be in community with others."
Alternative spring break programs are not a new concept. Georgia State and Georgia Tech also offer an alternative, educational spring break trip for students.
