Alternative Week of Off-Campus Learning (AWOL)

What is AWOL?

Alternative Week of Off-Campus Learning (AWOL) is a student-led organization on the campus of the University of South Dakota. Each year groups of 10-12 students participate in alternative breaks around the country and internationally. Their mission: to serve communities and learn in-depth about specific social issues such as education, addiction, or the environment. As a student-led organization, leadership starts with an elected Executive Board. Throughout the year the Board works on planning AWOL programming and trains site-leaders who lead other students during their alternative break. AWOL also organizes weekend service opportunities locally once a month during the academic year, as well as a first year early move-in program called Serve and Learn.

When are Alternative Breaks?

Groups are scheduled to leave on week-long service-learning trips during winter, spring, and summer breaks. 

AWOL's Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission: In order to promote active citizenship, the AWOL program immerses students in educational service-learning experiences through exposure to diverse social issues and by encouraging post-break application of those experiences.

Vision: By facilitating transformational service experiences, AWOL empowers Yotes to become leaders and life-long agents of social change that embrace diverse situations, people, and perspectives.

AWOL has three core values:

Diversity: We recognize that engaging with communities and people from different backgrounds and identities is an important factor in understanding social issues. To step beyond our everyday comfort zones and reflect on different ways to view and address problems we face as a society can be accomplished by interacting with diverse situations. By engaging with diverse populations, perspectives, and issues, we hope to support students in developing skills and the desire to engage in active citizenship.

Education: Developing opportunities to look critically at root causes of social issues and evaluate individual and collective roles in society is an important step to active citizenship. Students discuss site-specific issues prior to their service hours with a community. Then through their first-hand experiences in the community they discuss those issues. During this process they are challenged to synthesize their experiences, making connections with their focus of study, personal values, and their home communities.

Application: The experience and education are the first steps towards active citizenship. It is equally important to discover a path to engaging in the community as active citizens after the AWOL experience has ended. As we develop a new understanding about social issues, we begin to see community as a priority and learn to demonstrate this through what we value and the life choices we make. AWOL provides avenues for continued local community involvement and supports efforts to continue learning about social issues.

How is it funded?

AWOL is funded in part by General Activity Fees collected by the University, departmental funds contributed by the Gallagher Center for Experiential Learning and Education Abroad, and program fees charged to each participant to help cover a portion of the travel costs. 

To help further reduce the out-of-pocket cost to student participants, AWOL seeks donations through yearly fundraising efforts that go towards funding need and merit-based scholarships. This is how you can help! Your generous donation will go to our Scholarship Account with the University of South Dakota Foundation. Each fall semester any alternative break participant is welcome to apply for a scholarship; students awarded a scholarship will have their award applied to their USD account in the spring semester.

Find Us Here

Check out our social media for updates! Facebook - @USDGallagherCenter and @USDAWOL; Instagram - @usd_gc and @USDAWOL

If you prefer to make a check or cash donation, it can either be dropped off or mailed directly to the University of South Dakota Foundation (add AWOL to the memo):

USD Foundation * 1110 N Dakota St * Vermillion, SD 57069

Help Us Succeed

Please share this project with anyone you think would support us - on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, etc.