Our Values
“You’ve got to go there to know there.” ~ Zora Neale Hurston
Our 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.
Our 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 “Active Citizen Continuum” and “Eight Components Of A Quality Break Program,” which include:
- Strong Direct Service
- Full Engagement
- Diversity
- Orientation
- Education
- Training
- Reflection
- Reorientation
Our Values
- 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 of our programming in order to foster social well-being for all community members.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.