Alternative Spring Break (ASB) 2024 Application [WAITLIST]
Thank you for your interest in UMBC's Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program, hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. After reading the information below, respond to all of the questions in the subsequent sections to apply for ASB 2024 (Monday, March 18 - Friday, March 22, 2024).

NOTE THAT SPOTS FOR ASB 2023 ARE NOW FULL. However, you may still submit your application if you would like to be added to the waitlist.
Email *
About ASB

ASB is an engaging five-day immersive experience offered through the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. The program takes place in Baltimore to foster sustainable connections and lay the groundwork for long-term collective civic action.

As an ASB participant, you will develop skills that can help you reflect on experiences; share, solicit, and make use of stories; build community; work collaboratively; and analyze approaches to problem-solving to identify what works, and what else is possible. You will gain an understanding of a particular social issue and learn about the various approaches non-profits, city government, community organizers, residents, and activists are taking to address that issue. And you will develop a new sense of the human-scale impacts and dimensions of abstract, systemic issues: seeing the impacts of the issue on the people affected, and understanding the experiences and perspectives of people in various positions relative to the problem.

ASB participants spend much of the program in small groups focused on exploring a specific topic in depth. The group topics for ASB 2024 are:
  • Educational Justice for LGBT+ Youth: This ASB experience will explore how education systems in Baltimore impact equity for LGBT+ youth. You will gain an understanding of the complex factors affecting how LGBT+ youth connect with their identities and school communities. Our group will interact with school officials, advocacy organizations, legislators, and city officials addressing hostile school climates, the exclusion of LGBT+ history and issues from the curriculum, and other barriers to belonging. You will leave the experience with knowledge and relationships that will help you to be proactive as an agent of change in support of LGBT+ youth.
  • Immigrant Health Justice: This ASB experience will explore the impact of past and present policies that shape current health disparities experienced by immigrant populations in Baltimore City. By meeting with community leaders and policy makers, you will contextualize the condition of immigrant health in order to understand how lived environments and access to healthcare impact the well-being of immigrant populations. This experience will provide you with new perspectives and insights on the current state of immigrant health and equip you with tools to advocate for immigrant health justice.
  • Improving Life After Prison: Participants in this ASB experience will explore the effects of incarceration on individuals after they are released and explore pathways toward improving their quality of life. Through interactions with local leaders, community members, and city officials, you will learn about the work being done to improve the conditions formerly incarcerated people face as they are reintegrating into society. This experience will give you  insights about how to build a brighter future for and with people who have been incarcerated in Baltimore.
You will have an opportunity to tell us your group preference as a part of this application.

ASB 2024 will take place from Monday, March 18 - Friday, March 22, 2024. The program is open to all undergraduate and graduate students on UMBC's Catonsville campus. 36 students will participate, guided by a team of student leaders and staff members affiliated with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. We are planning to host the program in-person at the Holiday Inn Express in Linthicum Heights, MD. Participants will stay in hotel rooms. Some activities will happen on site, while others will happen in community spaces in Baltimore with partners from local and regional organizations. Round trip bus transportation will be provided.

Upon successful completion of ASB, you will receive a PRAC 121 (Leadership for Public Purpose) notification on your transcript for Spring 2024. PRAC 121 is a zero-credit, pass/fail course.

NOTE: UMBC covers most of the cost of each participant’s attendance. However, each participant pays a $125, non-refundable contribution toward the cost of food, housing, transportation, materials, and program activities. This fee will be due at the ASB 2024 Registration events on Monday, December 11 and Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Financial assistance is available. If you are selected to participate in ASB 2024, we will send you a form that includes the financial aid request. We do not want the $125 contribution to be a barrier to anyone’s participation.

The ASB 2024 application is due at 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, November 20, 2023. You can fill out this form in multiple sittings; it will autosave your progress.

By submitting this application, you are authorizing the Center for Democracy and Civic Life to check your UMBC records to confirm there are no disciplinary or other issues that would preclude you from participating in this program.

Contact Ricky Blissett, Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, with any questions by emailing rblissett@umbc.edu.
First name (as listed in the UMBC directory): *
Preferred first name (if different from your first name in directory):
Last name (as listed in the UMBC directory): *
Preferred last name (if different from last name in directory):
Phonetic spelling of your first and last name(s): *
Examples: DAY-vid (David), Bee-YAHN-say (Beyoncé), AW-guhst (August).
Pronouns:
 *
Examples: she/her, he/him, they/them, they/she.
UMBC email address:
 *
Confirm your UMBC email address (type it again):
 *
Cell phone number: *
Example: 123-456-7890. Please enter your phone number with hyphens between sections.
UMBC ID:
 *
Example: XX12345.
Birthdate:
 *
MM
/
DD
/
YYYY
Race or ethnicity:
 *
Gender:
 *
Year in school:
 *
Major(s) and/or program of study:
 *
Minor(s) and/or certificate program(s):
 *
Please list your UMBC activities, e.g., student organizations, councils, committees, living-learning communities, community-engaged learning.
No prior experience is required for participation. This information is helpful to us for program planning purposes.
I confirm that if selected, I will attend the entire ASB program, from Monday, March 18 - Friday, March 22, 2024. *
In addition to your answer above, is there anything we should know about your availability?
Example: Conducting research during the week of spring break.
How does the ASB program align with your goals?
 *
Suggested length: 3-5 sentences.
Group Topics

ASB participants spend much of the program in small groups focused on exploring a specific topic in depth. Use the descriptions below to identify the topic(s) that interest you most.

Educational Justice for LGBT+ Youth
Group Leaders: Madison Brown and Musa Jafri

This ASB experience will explore how education systems in Baltimore impact equity for LGBT+ youth. You will gain an understanding of the complex factors affecting how LGBT+ youth connect with their identities and school communities. Our group will interact with school officials, advocacy organizations, legislators, and city officials addressing hostile school climates, the exclusion of LGBT+ history and issues from the curriculum, and other barriers to belonging. You will leave the experience with knowledge and relationships that will help you to be proactive as an agent of change in support of LGBT+ youth.

Immigrant Health Justice
Group Leaders: Simone Acquaye and Kina Soberano

This ASB experience will explore the impact of past and present policies that shape current health disparities experienced by immigrant populations in Baltimore City. By meeting with community leaders and policy makers, you will contextualize the condition of immigrant health in order to understand how lived environments and access to healthcare impact the well-being of immigrant populations. This experience will provide you with new perspectives and insights on the current state of immigrant health and equip you with tools to advocate for immigrant health justice.

Improving Life After Prison
Group Leaders: Aidan Hunter and Alberta Ndille

Participants in this ASB experience will explore the effects of incarceration on individuals after they are released and explore pathways toward improving their quality of life. Through interactions with local leaders, community members, and city officials, you will learn about the work being done to improve the conditions formerly incarcerated people face as they are reintegrating into society. This experience will give you  insights about how to build a brighter future for and with people who have been incarcerated in Baltimore.
Choose the two topics (see above) that most interest you. *
Educational Justice for LGBT+ Youth
Immigrant Health Justice
Improving Life After Prison
First choice
Second choice
Explain how your first choice topic aligns with your interests.
 *
Suggested length: 3-5 sentences.
Explain how your second choice topic aligns with your interests.
 *
Suggested length: 3-5 sentences.
How did you hear about ASB? *
Required
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This form was created inside of UMBC.

Does this form look suspicious? Report

Google Forms