About ASB
About ASB
University of Kentucky (UK) Alternative Service Breaks (ASB) is a program run by students, for students. We go beyond the borders of Lexington and Kentucky and offer you an alternative way to spend your breaks!
In partnership with the national service organization Break Away, we do our part to connect UK students to service and learning opportunities across the U.S. and around the world.
Mission
To provide quality and fulfilling alternative breaks that mutually benefit community partners and student participants through education focused on social justice, service work requested by the host site, and reflection facilitated by student leaders.
We aim to provide social issue-based service experiences that are educational and cultural, and to promote active citizenship among UK students, faculty, and staff.
Vision
A campus of socially aware student citizens seeking to make a positive impact in the global community.
Our Philosophy
Our philosophy is that quality community service, particularly service immersions like Alternative Service Breaks, must involve:
- Strong direct service to address unmet community needs
- Broad education and deep reflection about social issues facing communities
- Exposure to the character and culture of the diverse communities in which we serve
Our approach is deeply rooted in the Break Away organization’s “Community Collaborator Continuum” and “Nine Components Of A Quality Community Engagement,” which include:
- Strong Engagement
- Education
- Orientation
- Training
- Full Immersion
- Identity-Consciousness
- Equity
- Reflection
- Reorientation
What we do
Our goal is to build future leaders that are active, conscientious citizens. Our mission is about future leaders making our future world a better place to be. Join us for what we hope will be a transformative and life changing experience for you. We say experience because involvement in UK ASB does not begin and end with your service trip. Rather, it extends throughout the academic year with orientation sessions, educational programs, service projects, fundraising events, and of course a reunion gathering!
Our list of service trips continues to grow and change each year so that you can find an opportunity with a social issue focus you are passionate about. With so many different issues to focus on and locations to travel to, you are sure to find the right alternative service break experience for you. Regardless of which service trip you choose, you are guaranteed to come away from your experience with new friends, new knowledge, a renewed sense of self, and a renewed desire to serve.
Our Values
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Cultural Humility
- A perspective that seeks to challenge personal biases and promote self-reflection through respectful interactions with cultures that are different from one’s own.
Social Justice
- Both a process and a goal with success defined as the full and equal participation of ALL groups in a society that allows each person to reach their full potential.
Community Impact
- Simply, UK ASB strives to “do good” and “do no harm.” We aim to create and execute mutually-beneficial alternative breaks that provide the most possible good and limit any potential harm that may be an unintended by-product of short-term community service
Active Citizenship
- An alternative break is not a one-time endeavor, but it is a catalyst for a lifelong commitment to prioritizing community in personal values and life choices through education, advocacy, and activism.
Diversity and Inclusion
- Establishing and maintaining a program culture that understands, accepts, and affirms individuals from all walks of life. We strive to offer a brave space in which all UK ASB volunteers feel empowered to be true to themselves, while experiencing and learning from new perspectives.
Cultural Humility
- A perspective that seeks to challenge personal biases and promote self-reflection through respectful interactions with cultures that are different from one’s own.
Sustainability
- The effort to create sustainable change through long-term community partnerships with the ultimate goal of eliminating unmet community needs. Furthermore, UK ASB prioritizes environmental and economic sustainability in all aspects in order to foster social well-being for all community members