Alternative Break Program at Columbia University

TONIGHT: Are you interested in leading an ABP trip over next Spring or Summer Break? Join us for an information session to learn more! (Tuesday, September 26, at 6PM in Lerner 515)

TOMORROW: Are you interested in leading an ABP trip over next Winter Break? Join us for an information session to learn more! (Thursday, April 13th, at 6PM in the Lerner Broadway Room)

Thank you to everyone who came to the ABP Gala yesterday! We hope you enjoyed the project presentations and lively keynote address :)

The ABP team "Columbia Raíz" is hosting a Gala that will take place this Tuesday, February 28th, to raise funds for their project. Please visit the following link to read more about their ABP project and to register for the event :) If you have any questions, you can contact the team leaders, Maria Antonella Pereira and Erika Inoue Meneses. We look forward to seeing you there!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guadua-a-gala-for-ecuador-tickets-32196087364

Guadua - a gala for Ecuador Come join Fundación Raíz and Columbia Raíz for a night of music, dance and service! The purpose of the event is to spread awareness on their projects as well as to raise funds for both group. Both groups are conducting important service projects surrounding the April, 2016 earthquake in Ecuador. Af...

Thank you everyone who came to the ABP's Inaugural Solstice Gathering! A big welcome to the 2017 ABP groups, and congratulations to last year's teams on all your dedication to your incredible projects :)

Happy Thursday everyone! Join us for our last information session TODAY at 5PM in Diana 504. You will get the chance to ask any questions you might have regarding the Oct. 14 pre-poposal deadline :) See you there!

Good morning Columbia! Follow us on Twitter to stay close to the ABP family throughout the semester ()

Join us for our second information session, tomorrow Sept. 22nd at 2PM! You will get the chance to learn more about leading your own civic engagement project, as well as meet past ABP leaders. See you then in Lerner 401!

TOMORROW: Join us for an information session to learn more about the ABP and how you can lead a civic engagement project during Spring or Summer Break. You will also have the chance to meet past ABP leaders and hear about their experience with the program. The information session will take place Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 7PM in Lerner 515. Looking forward to seeing you there!

ABP PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: CODEPHIL

"This summer, CodePhil will launch its pilot program aimed at teaching, empowering, and connecting the next generation of students in Lavezares, Philippines through cross-cultural collaboration and computer science based projects. We envision a program that will allow underprivileged high school students from various religious and cultural backgrounds to come together to learn the valuable and marketable skill of coding, collaborate on computer-based team projects that facilitate cross-cultural dialogue, generate interest in school through learn-by-doing activities, gain exposure to computer science-related careers, and inspire the students to create technological solutions that can impact not only their towns but also their country and the world. We are currently developing our technology curriculum in close collaboration with the teachers and administrators of BBCMAIS High School, located in Lavezares, and the Mayor’s Office of Lavezares. Furthermore, CodePhil will be partnering with the US Department of State, UNESCO, Philippine Department of Education, and the Northern Samar Tourism Office to raise awareness of the technological needs and issues facing young people in Lavezares.

We are most excited to expose students, who currently have limited access to technology, to computer science and robotics. Our team is looking forward to working with students to inspire a new generation of young leaders to make meaningful changes in their community through technology and cross-cultural collaborations. We are also excited to be collaborating and meeting with our various partner organizations in the Philippines to scale this idea to other parts of the country and create a global network of technology mentors, students, and teachers."

ABP PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: CAMP MITCHELL

"I’m very excited to get my project started! It’s been a long time waiting, but it’s finally almost here. I’m looking forward to interacting with the campers - seeing what they enjoyed learning and what they got out of it. My goal is that, by the end of the summer, the campers will have a new appreciation for the food they eat and will be excited about what they’ve learned about sustainable gardening and healthy eating. Right now, I’m still working on the curriculum by myself, but I can’t wait to sit down with the other farm staff and flesh out ideas in person. Mostly, I’m just excited to be outside all summer!"

ABP PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: SMS CLINIC

"The SMS Clinic team is traveling to the Gambia over the summer to carry out a study in mobile health. Their project is a text message-based system for administering surveys, whose questions will focus on common health practices related to malaria. During their trip to the Gambia, they aim to recruit about a hundred people to use SMS Clinic. The purpose of the study is twofold: to learn about prevalent attitudes towards malaria prevention, and to better understand how incentives can be used to retain participants in a mobile health system. For more info, you can visit smsclinic.org."