Georgia Southern University Alternative Break Board will host Social Issues Night to bring attention to poverty in Washington D.C. and specifically how politics can determine the outcome of social issues that many Americans face.

The event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Russell Union room 2047.

“We will discuss major social issues that affect everyone. Our alternative break trips give students a chance to experience life on a different scale,” Lindsay Higgs, co-president of the Alternative Break Board and senior nursing major, said.

This event will begin with poverty on a large scale and how it transfers down to just the D.C. area. Then the Alternative Break Board will discuss how these things affect Statesboro and Bulloch County.

“The alternative trip that I went on changed my life. It’s the reason I decided to do nursing,” Higgs said.

“The point of social issues night is to inform students about a current social issue and spread awareness regarding other social injustices that are affecting our world,” Higgs said.

The Alternative Break Board wants to provide education about the issues and the affect on the community in Statesboro, Higgs said.

“Then, we are letting students know how they can move forward with this social issue to create a sustainable change through alternative break trips,” Higgs said.

Students who attend issue night and would like to go on an alternative break trip must apply several months in advance.

“The point of an alternative break trip is to help students find out about their passions and show students how to help give back to the community, Higgs said.

Students will be able to choose the issue they believe they can improve the most and go to that site where that issue is the most relevant instead of choosing the actual location.

“We place students by the issues they pick, and after they are selected we reveal the destination to the students,” Amber Montrose, education chair and junior French major, said.

Alternative break trips take place over winter, spring and summer breaks. The cost is $150 to $500 for a trip.

Montrose said, “Although it is too late to apply to go on the winter break trip, students can still apply for the spring or summer trips.”