Why Cottonwood Gulch Started a Gap Year Program and What to Consider for Starting Your Own by Tori Baker-White Before we dive into my experience building a gap year program, you should know how I found my way into designing outdoor programs. Long before I began my career as an outdoor educator and program director, experiential education changed my path. I, like many high school students, was trying to figure out what my life would look like. I knew I needed a change and when an admissions representative from Chewonki visited my school and talked about the Maine Coast Semester,…
Learning & Reflection
My Experience as a Black Participant-Turned-Leader of the Rising Earth Immersion by Psalms White, originally published under the same title on the Eco Institute Blog. Posted with permission from the author. As I do believe in a higher power, it feels like divine intervention that my path has converged with the Eco-Institute’s —a hidden gem just 20 minutes from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I received my undergraduate degree in May of 2020. While I was in college, I had no knowledge this space even existed before my friend Abbey participated in the Eco-Institute’s Rising Earth…
Letter to GYA Dancers by Dominique Robinson, Director of Pizarts Dance Gap Year When I decided to pursue a career in dance, I wasn’t aware of the many avenues I could explore. In today’s culture we as artists have an unlimited amount of resources that inspire and educate us to absorb, process, and express our individuality. Even so, all the information out there can often paralyze dancers, sending them into a whirlwind of confusion: Where do I fit in? What am I trying to say? How do I brand myself? Why do I need to brand myself? The questions that…
How You Can Practice Sustainability this Earth Day as an Individual or Organization by Louise Crowe, Co-Chair of GYA’s Sustainability Committee As climate change and environmental concerns grow as issues for individuals and organizations, eco-anxiety is on the rise. Many of us want to prioritize sustainability, but how can we each do our part? The Gap Year Association’s Sustainability Committee is working towards creating some useful resources that both individuals and organizations will find useful to start creating a more positive impact. This Earth Day (April 22nd), we want to share some of the tips that you might be…
How to Cultivate Financial Literacy for Your Gap Year By Susan Doktor There’s a light I can see as plainly as the sign on a Waffle House through my bi-focal rearview mirror: I should have learned about money when I was young. I’m not saying I shouldn’t have dabbled in several languages or learned to wield an SLR camera one summer term. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t work at an aquarium during your gap year if marine biology is your passion. However, learning about finances early in life will help you make sense of your paycheck. It will make…
TAKING A GAP YEAR & STARTING A BLOG: THE 2 BEST DECISIONS I EVER MADE by [author] It was January 2020. My friend Caitlyn and I were enjoying a slow morning with a cup of coffee in our little Airbnb on the southern coast of Portugal. Just a few days ago, we had counted down to New Year’s in a crowd of thousands in Avenida dos Aliados in Porto; we then promptly packed up our backpacks and took a bus down to a little town called Lagos for some quiet and beautiful scenery. Although the sunny weather and azure waters…
REFLECTIVE AND ETHICAL LENSES FOR GAP YEAR PHOTOGRAPHY & STORYTELLING by Elizabeth Bezark Photography and storytelling provide meaningful ways to unpack and share what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown through your gap year experience. Now, the questions are: How are you expressing this? What do your images and captions convey about the places you’ve visited and your experiences there? Read on for GYA’s tips for making your digital documentation intentional, ethical, and reflective! Personal & Relational: One of many things that makes a gap year so meaningful is the people you’ll meet on your journey. As you post…
The Power of Not Knowing by Gap Year Alum, Anastasia Carrow “Do you know what you’re doing? Because I don’t!” Looking back on it now, all that stress seems pointless. I was—and still am—so young! I had time to figure things out, to take it slow. But when you’re seventeen and stubborn, it’s hard to ignore the pressure. We’re urged to earn the straightest As, get into the best colleges, make the most money. The early bird gets the worm, right? But, wait—doesn’t slow and steady also win the race? Obviously, everyone’s path will look different. Mine consists of both…
Building Resilience: Misadventures on a Gap Year by Jonah Cedar For the last couple of months, I’m sure you’ve heard the new buzz word sweeping the nation and no, I am not talking about the C-word. I am talking about resilience. Every politician I listen to, every optimistic voice on a podcast, and even I in countless emails have proclaimed that in a few months time, we as a nation will come out of this new normal with a resilience we have never had before. But what is resilience really? How do we measure it and how do we achieve…
Bruce Palmer of NOLS: On the Value of a Gap Year At this year’s GYA Conference I caught up with Bruce Palmer, long time director of GYA Accredited Program, National Outdoor Leadership School director and father of a student who completed a NOLS program. We talked about the importance of outdoor education, Gap Years and the value of this kind of experience in the life of a young person. Please tell us a little bit about who you are I’m the Director of Admissions and Marketing at NOLS and have worked with the organization for over 26 years. Previously I…