Social Impact Trips

Social Impact Trips Play Video

Spend your spring break engaged in service, learning, and activism, while having fun and building community with peers, through one of AU’s Social Impact Trips. These trips can take you out of your comfort zone, stretch how you understand the world, and be enriching experiences that impact your life and spark lasting relationships. Each trip involves varying types of work, simple living, an open mind to new ideas, and constant teamwork.

Social Impact Trips are designed to allow you to:

  • Immerse yourself in a dynamic learning experience.
  • Engage in transformative action with experienced community partners.
  • Reflect on your social responsibilities as local and global citizens.
  • Consider how your profession or career intersects with pressing social issues.
  • Live in community with fellow AU students and staff for a week.
  • Relate the experience to your local context.
Upcoming locations include:
  • Dowling Park, FL
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • St. Paul/Minneapolis and Shakopee, MN

Service projects focus on:

  • Cultural empowerment
  • Food security
  • Housing and job security
  • Hurricane relief
  • Native American populations
  • Senior living
  • Youth experiencing homelessness

Want to participate in a 2026 Social Impact Trip?

If you are interested in participating in a trip, please submit an application by Sunday, October 26. All AU students are welcome to apply!

Apply Today

Your application will be reviewed by Wackerlin Center staff, and, if selected, you will be notified of your trip location in November. 

After receiving your trip location, you can decide whether you would like to move forward with registration for the Social Impact Trip. At the time of registration, a participation fee is due, which covers your transportation, lodging, and meals. Participation fees range from $75-$100, depending on location assignment. 

If you have a need that requires help or assistance with completing the application, we encourage you to contact juwest@aurora.edu as soon as possible.

Volunteering with different organizations really helped me see the different challenges people have to go through and overcome throughout their lives. Valeria Rivera ’26
FAQs

Trips are made possible by the generosity of donors. However, you will be asked to make a minimal deposit to demonstrate your commitment to the trip.

You must submit in writing that you would like to withdraw from the trip by the deadline of December 13 to be refunded your trip fee. Requests to withdraw will be accepted after the December 13 deadline, but you will forfeit your deposit (unless an emergency arises after the deadline). 

Yes, but we cannot guarantee that you will be grouped together. 
Yes, there will be time during the trip to balance your academic responsibilities with your trip commitments. Free time during each trip can be used to complete assignments or exams and to communicate with your instructors.
During the trip, we ask that you follow the student code of conduct and the guidelines in the A-Book. You’ll also need to respect the laws and rules of our host site, and make sure your actions help keep you and the Aurora University community safe, healthy, and well-represented.

There are two types of trip leaders:

  • Learning Partners: AU faculty and staff who serve as the primary leaders.
  • Trip Guides: Experienced participants who offer leadership support.
Each site requires different forms of preparation. Your Learning Partners or Trip Guides will tell you how to prepare for your site.

For some sites, physical labor is required to serve the community you are visiting, such as planting trees, painting, gardening, and nature cleanup. If your body does not allow you to complete physical labor, please state that in your application or inform your Learning Partner or Trip Guide. 

All meals are included. The host site provides some meals, while others will be communally prepared as a group.

 

If you have food allergies or other dietary restrictions, please let us know ahead of time so we can make every effort to address your needs.

Each site offers different accommodations. Some sites provide dormitory sleeping arrangements that don’t require you to bring linen. Other sites might require you to bring a sleeping bag, pillow, and/or linens to sleep on a mat. Your Learning Partners will tell you about your sleeping arrangements. 
Yes, in two instances. You may receive a refund if you withdraw before December 13. You may also receive a refund if an emergency requires you to withdraw after December 13. 
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