Conferences for Gap Year Students to Attend by Sophia De Bruin When I was seventeen, on the cusp of adulthood, I boarded a flight to Germany that forever changed how I view education. In the four weeks I spent in Southern Germany, I realized that education and learning has less to do with a classroom, and more to do with a mindset. In those few weeks I learnt more about the world around me than I had in an entire year of sitting in a classroom. My classroom transformed from a small room lined with desks in Canada to common…
Dominique Robinson of Pizarts: On Breaking Ground with Dance Gap Years with Dominique Robinson One of the great things about the GYA Annual Conference is the connections we make with new people. Among the bright lights in Boston this year was Dominique Robinson. GYA Executive Director Ethan Knight noticed her smile first, and her enthusiasm followed closely behind. She’s got a passion for life, a passion for learning and a big idea: to create a Gap Year experience centered around dance and the arts. Based in NYC, she came to the conference hoping to learn and connect. Here is an…
10 Ways to Maximize Learning On Your Gap Year by Megan Lee Every morning on your Gap Year, you’ll need to wake up and renew your commitment to maximizing your learning potential every day. Now, this is no easy feat. Some days, staying in bed and escaping reality will seem like the more attractive option. But don’t fall victim to Gap Year learning exhaustion, which includes side effects that make you think sitting in your room all day on your laptop is an appropriate way to spend your time. Here are a few things you can do every day to…
What Does Responsible International Volunteering Look Like? by Annie Wendel Record numbers of students are choosing to study, travel, and serve abroad through Gap Year organizations, alternative break programs, and tour agencies. Voluntourism, volunteering and traveling at the same time, has become a popular rite of passage for high school and college-aged students. As a former study abroad participant and international volunteer, I can vouch for the personal, professional, and academic benefits of these intercultural immersion and exchange programs. These programs supplement classroom lessons through experiential learning opportunities and build student global awareness. My personal experiences have also made me…
Healthy Ways To Deal With Homesickness On Your Gap Year by Megan Lee Homesickness might be a new phenomenon for you if you never did the whole sleep-away camp thing in your younger years, but it’s inevitable. It’ll sneak up on you when you least suspect it: a photo shared online of your friends back home at one of your favorite annual events, a familiar smell of homemade cooking, the softness of a couch. The lack of a couch. The lack of one-course meals or even silent meals. Homesickness crops up in all shapes and sizes. It may be hard…
How to Identify Your Gap Year Goals by Megan Lee This probably isn’t the first time someone has asked you to identify your goals for your gap year (and probably won’t be your last either). Grown-ups keep telling you, “You need to know your goals!” And you’re like, “Cool, I get it Dad… but easier said than done!” Until now. It’s reflection-time! Not to sound too much like that great tune from Mulan, but you need to buckle down and do some serious reflection before your gap year. Ask yourself these questions and write out your answers. Yes, physically write…
A Parent’s Guide to All Things Gap Year by Megan Lee Your kid just proposed a (slightly outlandish) idea to you: “I want to take a gap year.” Maybe you’re 100% on board (you don’t need lots of convincing to understand its benefits) or maybe you’re still on the fence. It’s okay to worry – after all, you have your child’s best interests in mind, right? Regardless of which side of the support spectrum you fall in, here’s everything a parent needs to know to help their kid rock a gap year. Finances Ah, yes. Money. The necessary evil (and…
On Raising the Bar for Service Learning An interview with Willy Oppenheim, Founder of Omprakash One of the presentations I attended at the GYA Annual Conference in Boston was on Service Learning, presented by Willy Oppenheim of Omprakash. His reputation as a powerhouse presenter, a passionate humanitarian and an adventurer extraordinaire preceded him. I was not disappointed. I walked away from his presentation inspired and grateful that someone was standing up to say the hard things and encourage the community towards a higher standard across the board. Service learning is a sticky subject in the gap year world and there…