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Alternative Break
Immersion trips for college and university groups

Catholic Charities is pleased to partner with college and university groups who want to serve in Baltimore for alternative break immersion trips. We invite you to join us any time of the year and allow us to take many logistics off your plate.
Engaging Service and Learning
Catholic Charities of Baltimore is one of the largest providers of human services in the state of Maryland, and our mission to improve lives covers a broad scope of social needs. During their stay with us, students will serve with several Catholic Charities sites across the Baltimore region, giving an opportunity to learn how our work addresses many intersecting areas including: poverty, hunger, homelessness, mental health disability, supporting families in crisis and aging.
We hope students will experience the strength and beauty of Baltimore’s communities, build personal connections, deepen their understanding of justice work, and return home inspired to serve their own communities.

Let us help you with the logistics of your trip! For your alternative break trip, we provide:
- Full scheduling of volunteer opportunities for the trip. Let us know if you have a particular request (interest in certain areas of service, needing an afternoon off to explore Baltimore, etc.)
- A variety of service experiences at Catholic Charities programs around the Baltimore area. Each day will look a bit different!
- Assistance securing lodging at one of our partnering locations.
- Greeting the group upon arrival in Baltimore for orientation to Catholic Charities and the group’s activity for the week.
- A guided reflection during the week on volunteer experience (if desired) and education on trauma and its impact on our clients.
Questions
Recommended Learning
Reading and educational resources to explore prior to coming to Baltimore
- History of Catholic Charities of Baltimore
- Catholic Charities YouTube channel
- Out of the Blocks featuring Christopher Place Employment Academy
- Poverty in Maryland – Poverty USA
- What is Trauma-Informed Care?
- Adverse Childhood Experiences: Impact on brain, body, and behavior
- How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime