Preparing Students for a Gap Year: Pre-Departure Skill Building by GYA Admin My friend tells the story of going on a college visit to NYC with her, then, 17 year old daughter. The first night in the city her daughter and a friend announced that they wanted to take off on the subway to go to dinner and have an adventure. My friend’s instinct was to say, “What? No way! You’re country mouse girls and this is your first day in the city!” But then, she realized, that in just a few months, her daughter would be living in Manhattan,…
Communication
How to Convince Parents That Taking a Gap Year is a Good Idea by Jennifer Sutherland-Miller Sometimes, it can be hard to convince parents that taking off on a long trip instead of heading straight to college, or a job, is a good idea. Especially if they are not travelers themselves. It can be hard for them to understand why you would want to trade a “sure thing,” like continuing your education or entering the workforce, for an open ended, nebulous, gamble, like traveling. They may worry that your trip is going to make it harder for you to come…
Student’s Guide to Voting From Abroad by GYA Admin For most Gap Year travelers and study abroad participants from the States, this November’s Midterm Elections will be the first they’ve been eligible to vote in. Becoming a voting member of one’s country of citizenship is a rite of passage and an important step into participation in the adult community. In spite of the growing disillusionment with the political process, voting remains the most significant way “we the people” have to make our voices heard and have a hand in the direction our country takes, both domestically and within the international…
Voices Project: Teresa Hermann on the benefit of Gap Year and emotional support for parents with Teresa Hermann Sometimes, letting go can be hard! Teresa Hermann talks about the ways in which a Gap Year benefited her son Kevin, who graduated in 2009. With the benefit of almost ten years of perspective on the long term benefits she’s observed in his life, Teresa provides encouragement for parents who might be nervous about sending their children out to travel instead of go straight to college. Even kids who do all the right things, succeed in high school, and are accepted to…
Is Taking a Gap Year Worth Graduating Late? by GYA Admin In short, YES. Gap Years can kickstart motivation, teach valuable life skills, hone resumes into killer shape, and open doors to future opportunities. And believe it or not, Gap Year students may actually graduate a year ahead of time. Did you know that many teenagers in other countries wait a year after high school before heading to college? In Norway, Denmark and Turkey, for instance, more than 50 percent of students take a year off before college, according to the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education…
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…
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…