FAQ

No, there are no weekly meetings. We are an agency under the Office of Student Involvement so our program is open to all currently enrolled UCF students. No dues or weekly commitments are required. If you would like to get involved in our program, just come out to our events to learn more and sign up for a trip during Lottery Knight.

All currently-enrolled UCF students, both undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students.

Unfortunately no, you must be currently enrolled as a student to go on an ABP trip.

Applications for our trips begin with our semester’s Lottery Knight sign-up event. Additionally, we have events leading up to Lottery Knight to spread the word about our upcoming trips. In order to be fully eligible by that point, please follow these steps:

1. Go to our KnightConnect page.
2. Click the “Sign in” button in the upper right hand corner.
3. Log in using your NID and myUCF password.
4. You should now be on the ABP page. Scroll down to the “Forms” section.
5. Here, you can join our organization press the “Join” button in the top right hand corner and access the Participant Interest Form.

The Participant Interest Form lets us know of any accommodations that you require regarding your travel and puts your name into the drawing at the Lottery Knight event. However, it is still necessary to attend Lottery Knight to sign up for a trip!

Unless otherwise noted, weekend trip fees (Veterans and MLK weekend experiences) are $100; domestic week-long trips (Winter and Spring Break) are $250; and week-long trips requiring flight travel are $550. The trip fee completely covers your transportation and lodging for the duration, and covers most food expenses. Costs for any entertainment, souvenirs, etc., are not covered by the ABP trip fee.

We offer both weekend trips and week-long trips. MLK and Veterans Weekend trips will be over a long holiday weekend, totaling 3 days 2 nights. For weekend experiences, two half-days are allotted for travel, 1 full day and 1 half-day for service, and 1 half-day for free time. Winter and Spring trips are one week long, totaling 7 days and 6 nights. For week-long experiences, there are 2 days allotted for travel, 4 days of service, and 1 free-day.

1. You must first complete the Participant interest form through Knight Connect.
2. Attend Lottery Knight to sign up for a trip. Once at Lottery Knight, you will receive a lottery ticket and participants will be chosen using a randomized lottery system to ensure every student has a chance to be a part of the Alternative Break Program!
3. When your number is called, you will be able to select a spot on an open trip or an alternate spot on a closed trip (which already has a full roster of students). As an alternate, you will be able to go on the trip if one of the participants has to drop out of the trip.

If you are unable to attend Lottery Knight, please email the ABP Student Director at vucfabp@ucf.edu. You would pay your $100 deposit before Lottery Knight then fill out a proxy form with your desired trips. During Lottery Knight, if the trips you wanted are completely full by the time your name is drawn, you can be signed up as an alternate or receive your $100 deposit back up to 2 business days after Lottery Knight. It would be your responsibility to collect your deposit back with those 2 business days.

The order by which participants join their service trips is randomly assigned in Lottery Knight, so there is no guarantee that you will be on the same ABP trip as your friend.

If you feel comfortable, please note your general health concern on the Participant Interest form. For specific health questions, please email our advisor Amanda Dever at amanda.dever@ucf.edu, and we will be happy to try to accommodate your concerns.

Once selected, you are required to pay the full nonrefundable trip deposit. You can do this in three ways: with exact cash, check or money order.

To pay with exact cash, check, or money order, go to the Volunteer UCF cubicle at the back of the Office of Student Involvement (SU Room 208) between the hours of 10:00AM and 4:00PM. Failure to pay the full amount by the deadline will result in immediate removal from the trip without a refund of the non-refundable deposit. If you are having problems with the payment deadline, contact the ABP Director at vucfabp@ucf.edu as soon as possible.

Please send an email to the ABP Student Director at vucfabp@ucf.edu as soon as possible stating that you can no longer attend your trip, including the reason why you cannot attend the trip. By withdrawing from the trip, you are forfeiting your $100 deposit paid at Lottery Knight as well as any balance paid towards your trip.

Changing trips is not permitted once an applicant has been selected. Please carefully pick your trip when signing up at Lottery Knight.

All participants are required to attend the pre-trip meetings including the social, educational, and pre-departure trip meetings.

Yes! Our hope is that you will meet and interact with each person on your trip at all of the pre-trip meetings.

It depends. Each trip has a specific packing list, but toiletries, comfortable clothing you don’t mind getting dirty, closed-toed shoes, and sheets are universal items you need. Your ABP Coordinator(s) will elaborate more on the packing list during your pre-trip meetings.

No, your flight will be booked by our office.

For domestic trips (in the southeastern U.S.), van transportation is provided, and ABP staff will drive the student group to various locations involved. For international trips or far domestic trips, flights are booked by our office. However, all this is included with the trip cost!

All expenses for lodging during the experience, as well as costs for most food on-site are covered! In addition, dietary restrictions are accommodated for, but be sure to let us know beforehand through the Participant Interest Form on Knight Connect so that we can make the proper arrangements.

No. This is a University sponsored event, so alcohol and or recreational drugs are prohibited at any time.

Bringing money is necessary since you will be responsible for covering the cost of your meals during your travel and free-day. Additionally, most of the trips have allotted time to explore the area, so you may want to bring additional money to purchase souvenirs. However, you are solely responsible for safeguarding your money during the ABP trip. The amount of money you decide to bring is up to you, and is dependent on the trip. Your ABP Coordinator(s) will elaborate more on the amount during your pre-trip meetings.

Group members cannot skip group activities (including service activities, reflection, group dinners, etc.). You might be able to meet during free time if approved by the trip leaders however, keep in mind the purpose of the trip is to engage with your group and site.

Participants will be required to engage in a reorientation event after your trip. This reorientation event provides an opportunity to reflect on the service done and help you find avenues to stay involved in the Orlando area.

Your service hours will be inputted into Knight Connect within 5 business days following the conclusion of your trip. If you do not see your service hours after 5 business days, please make sure you have joined the Alternative Break Program page on Knight Connect then contact your ABP trip leader via email.

Volunteer UCF provides various opportunities to engage with service in the Orlando area. Check out their Knight Connect page for more information!

We are so glad you want to get more involved! Applications open in mid- to late March. Please email the ABP Student Director at vucfabp@ucf.edu if you have any additional questions.