A bright, happy sun washes down on anti-death penalty picketers in Austin, Texas, while a soft breeze flows through anti-war Iraq Action Camp. A combination of the sun and wind shines on and blows through the students at the University of Southern California fighting to combat climate change. As much as those destinations sound like anything but spring break hotspots, hundreds of students are signing up to “party later and save the world.”

Campus Progress is an organization within the Center of American Progress sponsoring works to help young people (advocates, activists, journalists and artists) to find a voice about current issues.

The organization’s main goal is providing tomorrow with better-trained, better-informed, more diverse and more united leaders than in earlier generations.

Campus Progress’s current project is their Web site Springbreakalternative.org, which brings the topics of the death penalty, the war in Iraq and climate changes to the eyes of university students.

The first gathering was in Austin, Texas, March 10 to 14, with the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, which is a program for Texas students against the death penalty. The plan for the few days was that participants were to come away with information on the anti-death penalty movement and how it could affect public policy.

As the alternative spring breakers met, they were able to go to some of the film and music events on their free time.

The second gathering meets in Washington D.C. March 15 to 17 at the Iraq Action Camp where attendees will learn what is happening in the war zone and ways they can start their own anti-war movements back home.

Veterans from Iraq will speak to an audience with a workshop on starting a campaign at their own universities. The organizers of the Iraq Action Camp have much more to follow after the first day’s activities, and the Web site said, “The experience is nothing to miss out on.”

The third and final assembly takes place at the University of California in Santa Barbara from March 24 to 27. This alternative spring break destination will have training, workshops and speakers on the climate movement, focusing on environmental justice, sustainability and environmental policy.

Students and followers will learn ways to combat the climate crisis in their lives, campus and own towns.

Since the congregation is on the beach, everyone is welcomed to spend their time on the beach to experience the coastline and meet others like themselves who are there to battle climate change.

As for Nicholls’ students attending, the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative is already over and Iraq Alternative will be done before Nicholls’ spring break comes around, but luckily, all of these alternative spring breaks are done annually.

Working to better the world is ongoing, and the alternatives will not be stopped. There is still time to help in the future. So ask yourself: Why spend your time catching up on schoolwork and lounging at the beach when you can do something for the people or the environment? Why not follow SpringBreakAlternative.Org’s slogan?

“Party later, save the world now.