The Office of Student Life and the Experiential Learning Center began leading ASB trips in the spring of 2009. The goal of UC Denver's ASB program is to provide students with a sustained service-learning opportunity in locations unfamiliar and challenging. During their trips, students perform projects for community agencies and learn about social issues such as literacy, poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness, animal rights, and the environment. Being completely immersed into diverse environments enables participants to experience, discuss, reflect upon, and understand social issues in an entirely different way. Students are empowered to live, learn, and grow together as they make a difference to a community.