GAP YEAR CONFERENCE
Photo: 2023 Gap Year Conference
See you next year!
We’re excited to announce our grand return to in-person conferencing in 2023! Save the date for May 22-24, 2023 in GYA’s new headquarters, Missoula, Montana. We hope you’ll join us!
THE RISING IMPORTANCE OF GAP YEARS IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
The world continues to see dramatic shifts in social structure, function, and expectations as we navigate the ongoing effects of a global pandemic while continuing to grapple with climate change and other critical issues of our time. Young people in particular have had their lives disrupted in ways we will be trying to understand for years to come. One thing we can say for sure is that the students of today are dealing with a great deal more than the students of three years ago. While this conference will still include a wide range of professional development topics, there will be an especially strong focus on exploring, understanding, and addressing the profound social, mental, and behavioral health concerns that have arisen among young adults as a result of the pandemic. Underlying it all is our core belief that meaningful gap year experiences are more important than ever and can play a critical role in addressing issues facing young adults during this unique time in history.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The purpose of the annual Gap Year Conference is to share research, tools, resources, best practices, challenges, and other relevant topics for those working and participating in the gap year field. It is a time for us to continue building momentum for the gap year movement, and to ensure that our work remains relevant and of service to local and global communities. Of course, it is also a time for us to celebrate our vibrant gap year community, and to network and connect without having to press “unmute.”
The conference is for you if you are:
A GAP YEAR PROGRAM PROVIDER wanting to connect with gap year and other educational consultants and counselors, and to share and learn about current best practices in program development, student support, and organizational operations. Both field staff and admin teams will find valuable professional development and networking opportunities at the conference!
A GAP YEAR CONSULTANT wanting to connect with both new and familiar gap year opportunities, and to share resources on student support and trends in the gap year movement.
AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM PROVIDER interested in entering the gap year space with purpose and intention, and learning best practices for serving gap year students.
A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR OR INDEPENDENT EDUCATION CONSULTANT looking for new and innovative ways to serve the students you advise. Students who take intentional gap years consistently go on to report higher confidence, expanded worldviews, better career preparedness, and higher GPAs and academic fulfillment if/when they pursue a college degree. Attending the Gap Year Conference is a great way to learn about meaningful gap year opportunities and to feel empowered to advise on the gap year option alongside other academic advising.
A GAP YEAR STUDENT, ALUM, FAMILY, ADVOCATE, or GAP-CURIOUS INDIVIDUAL who wants to network with others in the gap year space, learn about current and future trends in the gap year field, and contribute to the development of the growing gap year movement.
A VENDOR OR SERVICE PROVIDER who offers goods and services relevant to experiential education and gap year professionals. The conference will offer you a great venue for sharing how you can serve the growing gap year movement.
A HIGHER ED PROFESSIONAL who believes in the contributions of gap year experiences to higher ed environments, wants to network with a professional gap year community, and is interested in learning about and/or developing gap year-to-higher ed pathways.
CONFERENCE PROPOSALS
We are now accepting proposals for conference sessions to be presented at the 2023 conference. We invite proposals from everyone, members and non-members alike! General topics might include, among many others:
Management of risk during experiential learning opportunities is an ever-evolving topic, and we welcome proposals from professionals with experience developing approaches to, and policies and protocols for, mitigating risks to mental and physical well-being in different scenarios and environments.
How can we best equip gap year professionals with appropriate tools for supporting the mental and behavioral health of both students and staff? We welcome proposals for presentations that will help professionals build up their supportive toolkits, including sessions that focus on best practices for screening and identifying when to refer elsewhere (i.e., identifying the limits of your own scope of practice).
From curriculum design to program evaluation to logistics management and more, we welcome proposals from those with experience developing and implementing successful gap year programming. We will be prioritizing presentations that are able to focus on a specific aspect of program development.
GYA is committed to growing DEIA efforts across the gap year movement. We welcome proposals for presentations focused on concrete initiatives with clear goals and outcomes related to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in gap year programming as well as within organizational structure and leadership.
The gap year field is deeply linked to the travel industry, and we owe it to the world to work on developing best practices for reducing our carbon footprint, among other environmental concerns. We welcome proposals for presentations focused on approaches to sustainable travel and business practices, as well as programming focused on climate change science and activism.
Recruitment! Fundraising! Alumni Engagement! How do we engage prospective students and continue growing our bases of advocates, donors, and other supporters? We welcome proposals for presentations on strategies and best practices for all things marketing & outreach: digital marketing trends, reaching GenZ audiences, alumni engagement strategies and more.
The expansion of scholarships and financial aid for gap year opportunities is essential to moving the gap year field forward and improving equity and access across the gap year movement. We welcome proposals for presentations on approaches to funding, framing, and awarding scholarships and other forms of financial aid for gap year experiences.
We welcome proposals from those who have conducted research on trends and outcomes in the gap year field. Presentations may focus on past and current data and statistics, and/or may explore speculative trends in the gap year field.
GYA AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Who inspires you in the gap year field? Who would you like to see celebrated for their achievements and contributions to the movement? We encourage everyone to submit a nomination for one or more of our GYA Awards, which will be presented at the 2023 conference. These awards are meant to recognize leaders in the gap year field, as well as outstanding gap year alumni. We are currently accepting nominations for the awards in the following categories:
This award goes to a person or organization who has contributed outstanding research to the gap year field. This could mean research on student outcomes, improving programs or experiences, or the general growth of the movement.
This award is designed to recognize organizations doing outstanding work in primarily environmental (climate), but also social, sustainability.
Who do you know that is rocking the gap year world and advancing the movement within their sphere of influence? What are they doing that goes above and beyond? Tell us about it!
This award will recognize a person or organization who is working hard to expand accessibility within the gap year movement. This could mean increasing financial parity, building diversity, or expanding inclusivity initiatives.
We are looking to recognize innovators. Who do you know who took a risk to do something different? Which organizations or individuals are thinking outside the box and helping to raise the bar for everyone else?
As the name indicates, nominees should be persons who exemplify a commitment to the movement over the long haul, who have made a significant impact during their careers, and who have furthered the movement in some capacity, thereby honoring the legacy of Cornelius Bull.
This award is meant to recognize the outstanding personal, professional, or civic achievements that a recent gap year alum (within the last five years) has made as a result of their gap year experience.
PRE-CONFERENCE
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID CERTIFICATION: Sunday, May 21 from 8am – 5pm on the 4th floor of the Missoula Public Library in Downtown Missoula.
** Must REGISTER separately by May 19, 2023.**
Mental Health First Aid is an evidence- and skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge in adults ages 18 and over. Geared through the lens of higher education, this course will help participants to better understand the unique challenges gap year and college students may face, help to increase participants’ mental health literacy, and provide an action plan of how to provide support safely and responsibly to others. Similar to CPR-First Aid, this training will provide participants with a certification as a Mental Health First Aider for three years from the date of attendance. Join the more than 2.9M Mental Health First Aiders nationwide who have learned more about mental health and how to #bethedifference!
Trainer: Katie Noble, M.S.Ed. (she/they) is a professional educator, consultant, trainer, coach, and motivational speaker and is the owner and founder of Noble Wellbeing, LLC, a company focused on educating and empowering communities to decrease the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use. Her work is focused on fostering and developing leadership skills in individuals, communities, and organizations to create and maintain environments of wellbeing. A native to the Inland Northwest, Katie identifies as a disabled and queer person, a suicide attempt survivor, and has been in recovery from her own mental health journey for nearly 24 years. Katie holds a master’s degree in adult/organizational learning and leadership and has more than a decade of experience working in higher education as a prevention specialist (in the content areas of mental health and well-being, suicide prevention, trauma, resiliency, alcohol and other drugs, sexual assault prevention, and bystander intervention). Using real-world examples and personal narratives, Katie brings unique and powerful perspectives to their work and empowers others to have conversations about things that matter. Katie currently lives in Spokane, WA.
CONFERENCE DETAILS
INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION:
- Early Bird Rates until April 7, 2023:
- GYA Members: $475
- Non-Members: $575
- Standard Rates from April 7 until May 14, 2023:
- GYA Members: $575
- Non-Members: $675
- Late Rates from May 15, 2023 until conference dates:
- GYA Members: $675
- Non-Members: $775
GROUP REGISTRATION:
- Early Bird Rates until April 7, 2023:
- GYA Members: $425/person
- Non-Members: $525/person
- Standard Rates from April 7 until May 14, 2023:
- GYA Members: $525/person
- Non-Members: $625/person
- Late Rates from May 15, 2023 until conference dates:
- GYA Members: $625/person
- Non-Members: $725/person
If you are unable to attend the conference, please send cancellations in writing to GYA’s Executive Director, Keri McWilliams, at keri@gapyearassociation.org.
- Cancellations received prior to May 1st will receive a refund minus a $50.00 administrative fee.
- Cancellations received after May 1st and prior to May 15th will receive a refund minus a $100.00 administrative fee.
- No refunds will be given starting on May 15th.
- Substitutions will be accepted up to the start of the conference.
Conference events will take place over three days, from the morning of Monday, May 22 until the afternoon of Wednesday, May 24. A pre-conference Mental Health First Aid course will take place the prior Sunday, May 21, from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
VIEW A PREVIEW of our 2023 conference agenda.
Conference sessions will take place on the third floor of the University Center (UC) on the University of Montana campus. The UC is a 10-minute (0.4 mile) walk from the DoubleTree Hotel.
View a University of Montana campus map HERE.
Evening social events will take place at two different locations in Downtown Missoula, as well as the DoubleTree Hotel’s in-house restaurant, Finn.
View our 2023 Gap Year Conference sponsorship opportunities HERE. Whether you are a vendor of products or services relevant to gap year and other education professionals, or a general supporter of experiential education and the gap year movement, we have a sponsorship option for you!
We invite all interested sponsors to submit a sponsorship interest form. Once we receive your submission, we will follow up with details about a sponsorship contract.
Travel & Accommodations
The Missoula Airport welcomes direct flights from five different airlines and fourteen different cities. Airport shuttles and taxi/Uber/Lyft services into the heart of Missoula are available, but we recommend looking at transportation options ahead of time to make sure you have what you need at your arrival time. Those staying at the DoubleTree will be able to book the complementary hotel shuttle from the airport.
Those interested in making the conference part of a longer visit to the area might also consider flights into Bozeman, Kalispell, or Spokane. Missoula will be a two- or three-hour drive from these airports.
GYA will have a hotel block for conference attendees at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel-Edgewater. While there are many lodging options in Missoula, the DoubleTree is ideally situated for conference-goers:
- It is a short walk to both conference events at the University of Montana AND offsite gatherings in Downtown Missoula (especially ideal for anyone who prefers to avoid renting a car for their visit!).
- Food and beverage is available onsite.
- Surrounded by hiking and biking trails (and located next door to a bike shop for rentals!).
- Located right on the Clark Fork River, because most things—whether it’s sipping your morning coffee or strolling to campus for the conference—are better with a view of the water.
The date to reserve a hotel room at the conference rate has now passed. The hotel still has rooms available, but they will be at the prevailing rate. To check availability and rates at the DoubleTree, click HERE.
While the DoubleTree is in a very convenient location for conference attendees (and will be a fun place to stay with all your GYA friends!), there are also a range of other lodging options available for visitors. If you’re looking for other possibilities, we recommend starting with these nearby options:
- Comfort Inn University
- The Wren Hotel
- Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
- AC Hotel by Marriott Downtown Missoula
Want to save on costs by sharing a hotel room or other lodging option? Add your info and find others on this Room-Sharing Interest Board. GYA won’t pair anyone up directly, but we encourage you to reach out to others using this platform!
Conference attendees will be free for dinner on their own on the evenings of Sunday, May 21 and Monday, May 22. Missoula is still a small town where many local eateries are closed on Sundays and Mondays; so, we’ve compiled a list of great options that are open on both days! Take a look HERE.
For those arriving in Missoula earlier in the weekend, we highly recommend a visit to one or more of the town’s Saturday Markets, where you’ll find an array of local produce and made-to-order food.
Thank you to our 2023 conference sponsors
We’re grateful for your support of the gap year movement!
Welcome to Missoula!
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Photo credits: Destination Missoula
PAST GAP YEAR CONFERENCES
In 2015, GYA’s first annual Gap Year Conference drew 60 attendees together in Baltimore. Since then, our in-person conferences have grown to almost 200 attendees, increasing even more during the virtual years of the pandemic. These conferences have been wonderful opportunities to gather our international gap year community for professional growth and connection. Past gatherings include:
This fall’s virtual summit took place on Thursday, November 17, 2022. The six-hour summit included a report on our annual State of the Field survey, GYA’s annual member meeting, and professional development sessions focused on DEIA, mental health, and Fair Trade Learning. Thank you to all of our speakers, panelists, and 80+ attendees for making it an insightful and engaging event!
If you attended the summit and would like to provide us with some feedback, please take a moment to fill out our Summit Evaluation Form to help us improve future professional development offerings.
Highlighted sessions:
State of the field
GYA’s annual State of the Field report will be delivered by Luke Parrott and Erin Johnston, co-chairs of GYA’s Research Committee.
Luke Parrott is the director of graduate admissions at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He is also an adjunct instructor for a Global Citizenship course for undergraduate study abroad students. Prior to this role, he was the director of a gap year program provider where he oversaw admissions and program management in international experiential education for nine years. He co-chairs the Gap Year Association research committee in efforts to further academic research surrounding benefits of gap year experiential education. He also sits on advisory boards with Impact Route (a Rwandan cultural training center) and the Gap Year Research Consortium at Colorado College.
Erin Johnston, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Sociology and an affiliate of the Clergy Health Initiative at Duke University. Before coming to Duke, Erin was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Graduate School of Education and Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Stanford University. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University. Her research has included a longitudinal, mixed-methods case study of a US-based international “gap year” program. In addition, Erin has previously served as the Sociology Course Director for Verto Education’s field semester programs.
KEYNOTE TALK: Understanding and supporting transgender, gender-diverse, and non-binary young adults
Keynote speaker Aidan Key delivered a much-anticipated talk on understanding and supporting transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary students. This two-hour session examined the topic of gender diversity and challenges faced by transgender and gender diverse young adults, explored current research, and identified best approaches for creating inclusive, supportive environments.
Aidan Key is the founder of Trans Families, an organization that provides online support to families of gender diverse children and youth across the nation. Key, the principal trainer at Gender Diversity, has served as a consultant to hundreds of K-12 schools, workplaces, and healthcare agencies across the US and has provided training, strategic planning, policy development, and staff, parent, and student education in schools.
Key is the author of Trans Children in Today’s Schools (Oxford University Press, publication date, Mar 2023), the co-author of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: Children (Oxford University Press, 1st and 2nd editions), and co-author of Gender Cognition in Transgender Children (Psychological Science). Key authored the nation’s first K-12 Gender Inclusion in Sports Toolkit in partnership with the WA Interscholastic Activities Association which received endorsements from all six professional sports teams including the Seahawks, Mariners, and the Sounders.
Past speaking/keynote engagements include the Children’s Justice Conference, the National Women’s Judges Conference, the Adolescent Medicine Conference, and the University of Alaska’s 1st Power & Privilege conference.
The Greater Seattle Business Association honored Key as the Humanitarian of the Year (2017) and The Pride Foundation, Chicago Black Pride, and others have praised Key’s work as well. He has often been featured in the national media, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, NPR’s Diane Rehm Show, Larry King Live, and Fresh Air with Terry Gross. More recently, Aidan was selected as one of Seattle magazine’s 2019 Most Influential People of the Year.
panel discussion: running affinity groups
Moderated by Claire Sutton, Co-chair of GYA’s DEIA Committee. Panelists will include Kary Sommers of NOLS and Lupe Bobadilla of High Mountain Institute.
Kary Sommers has been a NOLS instructor since 2007. She often taps her passion for horses, cameras, llamas and fishing on NOLS courses in Wyoming. Kary says, “I always wanted to become a NOLS instructor because my instructors had such a profound impact on me. I wanted to do that for someone else.” When not in the mountains, Kary is the manager of NOLS’ marketing and word of mouth efforts in Lander.
Lupe Bobadilla is the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Admissions Officer at High Mountain Institute (HMI). Lupe joined the HMI team in 2019 and is originally from Los Angeles, CA. Although living in Leadville was an adjustment for him–he used Youtube to learn how to shovel snow–he is proud to call Leadville home. He is passionate about social justice and calls himself an urban planning nerd.
panel discussion: mental health & supporting student success after the pandemic
Moderated by Gary Robinson of P3 Mental Health Advisors. Panelists will include Shayna Abraham of Prepare to Bloom and Andrew Taylor of Pure Life.
Moderator: Gary Robinson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has dedicated himself for over 30 years to helping high school and college-aged students to maximize their potential and overcome barriers to learning. Gary’s clinical specialties include stress management, mood and anxiety disorders and life coaching/mentoring. He was on the first disaster mental health team in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and since has coached many organizations in the principles/ practices of critical incident stress debriefing. He has served in a variety of clinical counseling roles in university and college settings. For many years, he served as the Director of Counseling at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. As Co-Founder of P3 Mental Health Advisors, he serves as a Psychological Consultant to several Gap Year, Camp, experiential learning and Study Abroad programs. He is the Co-Author of The Daily Brew: A 365-Day Guided Journal (Outskirts Press, 2018). He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. After completing his graduate work in Counseling Psychology at the State University of New York at Albany, Gary was hired to work for the Semester at Sea program, mentoring students as they visited eleven countries on this around-the-world shipboard voyage of discovery. For Gary, Semester at Sea cemented his interest in intercultural learning and he found applications for this interest in his subsequent positions including a stint as a Foreign Student Advisor at Keystone College in Pennsylvania.
Shayna Abraham is a Therapeutic Consultant with Prepare to Bloom and holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with a specialty in Eating Disorders from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She has completed additional course work in chemical dependency at California State University, East Bay. Prior to full time consulting, she worked therapeutically with a wide range of clients including adults, adolescents, children and families. Shayna understands that each family she works with has unique and often complex challenges. Her intent is to meet each family where they are and guide them to reach their individually defined goals. Over the past decade, she has worked with hundreds of families and has placed clients in academic and therapeutic settings.Shayna regularly travels nationally and internationally, maintaining her direct knowledge of schools and programs. This allows her to cultivate relationships directly with each of the professionals and programs she recommends. She utilizes her in-depth understanding of diagnosis, assessment, and treatment to advocate for her clients while guiding the family through the entire treatment process.
Andrew Taylor is the Executive and Admissions Director for Pure Life. A native of Utah, Andrew grew up in the outdoors and spent his college summers as a river guide on the Upper Colorado River. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in Organizational Communication, Andrew went to Costa Rica in search of whitewater. During his time in Costa Rica, he fell in love with the Costa Rican people and the wide range of adventure activities the country has to offer. Andrew has been running adventure trips in Costa Rica since 2004. In 2010 he received a Master of Business Administration from Westminster College in Salt Lake City and pursued a Substance Use Disorder Counseling Certificate through the University of Utah in 2012. He has enjoyed and been inspired by his work with individuals suffering from drug and alcohol addictions at Cirque Lodge, which is one of the top substance abuse programs in the nation. Andrew speaks fluent Spanish and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. He has a passion for adventure, the outdoors, and helping others experience the beauty that exists within nature around the world. He loves adventure travel and the many lessons it has taught him along the way.
fair trade learning
Caitlin Ferrarini, Elizabeth Bezark, and Warren Oliver of GYA’s Fair Trade Learning Committee will provide an introduction to Fair Trade Learning principles and an overview of their recently published Fair Trade Learning Guides. Fair Trade Learning refers to global educational partnership exchange that prioritizes reciprocity in relationships through cooperative, cross-cultural participation in learning, service, and civil society efforts. Read more about Fair Trade Learning on the Community-based Global Learning Collaborative’s website.
Caitlin Ferrarini is the Director of Assessment at the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative, in charge of the Collaborative’s Global Engagement Survey. Caitlin is a PhD student in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston as well as a student advisor in the Honors College at UMass Boston. Before starting her doctoral studies, Caitlin worked in Colombia for five years as the Executive Director of WorldTeach Colombia and an Education Advisor with Fulbright Colombia. Caitlin’s research interests include international education which promotes social action, experiences of host community members, and the inclusion of non-dominant student groups in experiential education abroad programs.
Elizabeth Bezark is a global educator who strongly believes in the power of intercultural engagement to craft deeper levels of understanding and shared humanity in our world. She uses her passions for and expertise in increasing ethics and equitability across global partnerships to significantly advance GYA’s adaption to the Fair Trade Learning standards. She co-designed and now co-chairs the Fair Trade Learning Committee. She has served as a second reviewer of GYA accreditation applications to help organizations improve their practices in alignment with the highest standards in the field. Elizabeth has also developed key systems to streamline GYA’s work such as the Committee Operations Handbook and Editor’s Handbook.
In partnership with Unleesh, the 2020 Gap Year Conference marked our 6th year coming together for industry-wide conversations, professional development, and networking. And we got to do it all from home! Going virtual presented the opportunity to widen our network and reach many more who are interested in gap years: People from over 15 countries participated! Our conversations proved just as meaningful as past years, perhaps more so given the power of the moment and the incredible access to talented speakers.
ANGELOU EZEILO is the founder and CEO of the Greening Youth Foundation. A leading social entrepreneur, she was a 2016 Ashoka Fellow and graduate of Spelman College and the University of Florida, College of Law. Angelou is a member of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights’ Women in Solidarity Society and is on the boards of the Atlanta Audubon Society and the South Fork Conservancy. Angelou pinned her first book, Engage, Connect, Protect: Empowering Diverse Youth as Environmental Leaders. Engage, Connect, Protect explodes this myth, revealing the deep and abiding interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities ― many of whom live in degraded and polluted parts of the country – have in our collective environment. The novel is part eye-opening critique of the cultural divide in environmentalism, part biography of a leading social entrepreneur, and part practical toolkit for engaging diverse youth. Angelou lives in Atlanta, GA, with her husband of 25 years along with her two sons.
With the uncertainty we’ve faced in 2020 and the uncertainty that surely lies ahead in 2021, now more than ever, it is paramount that all of us in the profession work to support our students and families and to hone our craft to be student-centered. Learn about opportunities and ways to build partnerships with your colleagues who are “in the trenches” in order to spread the good word and opportunities of gap year experiences.
Active Anti-Racist Allyship, Bryanna Wallace and Autumn Gupta, Justice in June.
In a world where we are consumed by an overload of information, short attention spans and knee-jerk reactions to opinions of opinions, we find it important to create an approachable structure that allows anti-racism to become a daily habit and behavioral change rather than checking a box. In this section we will cover what it looks like to be an active anti-racist ally. We will illustrate the importance of minimizing the gap between good intent and information and education that leads to action. This discussion will touch on the need for safe spaces that promote transparency, vulnerability and accountability.
Financial Security for Guides and Experiential Educators, Jayson Owens, CFP® Financial Security for Guides and Outdoor Educators (aka Building Wealth, a Raft Guide’s Story).
Financial security isn’t just for trustafarians anymore. The biggest advantage that outdoor instructors and seasonal staff have over the mainstream is years of intermittent income have taught us to be frugal out of necessity. Unfortunately, many think this means that they have forego financial security, but that’s simply not true. In this session, we’ll cover simple actionable steps that will help you: – Manage unpredictable income. – Save for emergencies, goals, and retirement. – Avoid scams, avoid overpriced “advice”, and decode industry jargon. – Invest appropriately. – Manage your lifetime tax bill to your advantage. This will be an interactive session (yes, that means worksheets). You will create “SMART” goals specific to your life that you can take action on the same day!
Integrating your Risk Management Systems with Inclusion & Diversity Efforts, Steve Smith & Taylor Feldman.
Gap Year Programs rely on their risk management tools and systems, but what happens when those traditional systems undermine efforts to create equitable and inclusive programs? This interactive presentation, delivered by an industry leading expert in risk management, will critically explore the hidden pitfalls where risk systems work at cross purposes with equity and inclusion, and offer solutions from over 20 years of experience. Participants will engage in small group activities, learn from other participants, and walk away with action steps to help them align their systems.
2019 year represented our first effort to host the conference with an institution of higher education, and unsurprisingly we found a higher than usual attendance by colleges and universities.
Download the 2019 Conference Guide & Schedule
Highlighted sessions: DEIA
“Equity and Inclusion”
Erica Nelson
Co-Founder R.E.A.L (Reconcile, Evolve,
Advance, Lead) Consulting
Sydney Clark
Co-Founder R.E.A.L (Reconcile, Evolve,
Advance, Lead) Consulting
After seeing the need to provide leadership and insight to bringing outdoor and gap year programming to be inclusive and equitable, Sydney and Erica founded R.E.A.L. Together they will work with participants to dive into four key areas of gap year programming. The objective for participants at the conclusion of each module will be to achieve a basic understanding of the topic that they can use to inform subsequent policy and program planning. The final module will focus on developing systems of accountability.
Four key areas this workshop will explore:
- Identity: Looking Inward Before Looking Outward
- Implicit Bias
- Cultural Appropriation
- Strategies for Developing and Ethos of Decolonization
Sydney Clark earned a BA in Sociology and Political Science from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where she also played Division I volleyball. She’s developed curriculum and facilitated trainings for several organizations including Public Allies Chicago, the United States Peace Corps and NOLS. Sydney currently resides in Lander, Wyoming and spends as much time as she can honing her barbecuing skills.
Erica Nelson earned a BA in Psychology and Outdoor Leadership from Sierra Nevada College, where she led and facilitated student outdoor courses. She currently serves as co-chair for the Access and Inclusion GYA Committee, and is an ambassador for Brown Folks Fishing, that was recently awarded the Orvis Breaking Barriers award in April 2019. Erica is currently a corporate leadership development consultant and a NOLS whitewater instructor.
“Teaching and Talking About Race, Racism, and White Supremacy”
Tema Okun
Duke University: Teacher, Writer, Activist
In this session, we will take a look at how to teach and talk about issues of race, racism, and racial justice. The session will offer a framework for understanding how racism operates and how to address it, as well as pedagogical approaches to teaching about race and racism grounded in both content, what is taught, and process, how content is taught.
Tema Okun has spent over 30 years working with and for organizations, schools, and community-based institutions as a trainer, facilitator, and coach focused on issues of racial justice and equity. Tema currently co-leads the Teaching for Equity Fellows Program at Duke University. She is the author of the award-winning The Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching About Race and Racism to People Who Don’t Want to Know (2010, IAP), and publishes regularly on the pedagogy of racial and social justice.
Highlighted sessions: Mental Health
“Emotional First Aid: Effective Responses to Mental Health Challenges”
Gary Robinson
Founder P3 Mental Health
What do you do in a mental health emergency with a student? Do you know how to spot if someone is in crisis? Do you know how to respond if they are? What are the boundaries staff must respect to comply with scope of practice rules? These types of situations are a growing concern, especially with organizations that may not have immediate access to mental health professionals. This is an active and hands-on session, with extensive role plays and practice of the skills needed to be able to administer Emotional First Aid. The course is appropriate to all levels of previous training. If you or your staff are new to mental health training, this will give them the skills they need to be competent to help out in any mental health situation. For those with experience, this is an opportunity to learn and practice some new skills, as well as be updated on the latest research and important concepts and best practices in responding to emotional and mental health issues, especially on travel-based programs.
Gary Robinson currently serves as Director of Counseling at Hartwick College in New York, a position he has held for over 20 years. His clinical specialties include stress management, mood and anxiety disorders and life coaching/mentoring. Gary is the co-founder of P3 Mental Health Advisors which serves in a training and crisis management consulting role to Gap Year, Study Abroad, Experiential Education and Service Learning programs.
“The Body of Sex: Our Place in the Conversation with our Students”
Sarah Byrden
Founder The Body of Sex
Sexual selfhood is a fundamental aspect of our students’ lives and increasingly complex as our culture navigates conversations of sex and consent. As gap year educators, we are in a unique position of mentorship with students, at a critical time in their development, offering experiences and understandings that will shape the choices they make in the world. This workshop will teach to the what, how and why of gap year’s unique significance in empowering our students toward more sexual safety, awareness, and agency, an invaluable gift as they navigate the complex sexual culture on college campuses and beyond.
Sarah Byrden, founder of THE BODY OF SEX and two-time TEDx speaker, is known for her domain-changing work and approach in sex education among college-aged students and adults. Her passion, nuanced approach and depth as a facilitator have been forged by her 20 years an experiential educator, most notably in field and leadership positions with Where There Be Dragons and Second Nature Wilderness Therapy Program.
HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS: HIGHER EDUCATION
“PANEL – Leveling the Playing Field: College Strategies that Broaden Gap Year Access”
Bob Clagett
Director, Gap Year Research Consortium
at Colorado College
This will be a panel presentation with Bob Clagett (Colorado College), Latika Young (Florida State University), Sarah Smith (UNC Chapel Hill), and Kelsey Fisher (Duke University). Gap year experiences have grown more common during the past decade, and the positive outcomes of taking one are well established. But too often these opportunities have been limited to a smaller group of students who already know what they would do with an intentional gap year. Explore strategies colleges are using to encourage more students to consider taking a gap year and, in some cases, even help make it financially viable. Panelists will also discuss the new Gap Year Research Consortium based at Colorado College.
He is a former Senior Admissions Officer and Associate Director of Financial Aid at Harvard College, Dean of Admissions at Middlebury College, and Director/Co-Director of College Counseling at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and Colorado Academy. BA in German Civilization from Brown University and EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
“The Gap Year and College After Crisis”
Hanna Stotland
Independent Educational Consultant
How can we help students who have been through an educational crisis? Many students looking at a gap year have experienced expulsion, suspension, failing grades, or other obstacle that they will have to explain in order to apply to college. Learn how a gap year can help these students achieve their long-term goals and how to discuss post-gap planning with this population of students and their parents.
Hanna Stotland flunked out of high school, got a G.E.D., and thanks to her gap years, went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Since 1999, she has been an independent admissions consultant specializing in educational crisis management. She regularly presents on this topic at professional conferences including IECA, HECA, and NACAC affiliates.
“Storytelling and Branding Training”
Daniel Dozier
Director, Students of the World
Students of the World was founded on the premise that experiential global education is essential, and that students in all of our schools need more programming that connects them with the broader world beyond our borders, as well as those cultures and communities different from their own but that can be found ‘in our own backyard’ within the United States. We are excited to provide the storytelling training program to your members so that they are trained in best practices for empowering eachother to share their stories and to become the content curators the ecosystem needs to expand and raise awareness of the progress an investment in gap year experiences provide our students. Furthermore, our training program will empower and prepare your members to share the impact they are having in their communities through their work, thus contributing to the development of the association – this reflects our purpose and mission to shine a light on progress.
Modules include:
i. Empowering Students to Share Stories
ii. Technical Preparation and Production
iii. Roles & Responsibilities
iv. Content Curation
v. Managing the Creative Process
vi. Connecting Content & Community
HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS: RISK MANAGEMENT
“The Pedagogical Value of Risk in International Education”
Bill Frederick
Owner, Lodestone Safety International
Engaging students more fully in the management of their health, safety and security has an under appreciated pedagogical value. Contemporary child rearing practices have blocked children from developing their risk management capacities without making them safer. We’ll review the research, debate some scenarios and explore how to do it and how it can improve learning, interpersonal relations, ethical behavior, and mitigate the experience of mental health challenges. It may even make your programs safer.
Bill Frederick is the founder of Lodestone Safety International specializing in health, safety and security for educational/service organizations operating abroad. Previously he was the Director of Safety at SFS and an Instructor/program director for Outward Bound for 16 years. He is a faculty committee member for Wilderness Medical Associates International. He holds an M.Ed from Harvard University and a CTH from the ISTM.
HIGHLIGHTED SESSIONS: CURRENT ISSUES
“Gap Year Climate Engagement or Denial? How to Better Walk Our Talk”
Nathan Scott
Founder, Global Climate Corps
Scott Burnett
Founder, Pacific Discovery
The Gap Year industry has been slow to acknowledge our own contribution to the climate crisis. How many programs make conscious efforts to address the carbon footprint of their student travel or engage in meaningful action to mitigate their climate impact? We all could be doing a better job! In this lively and interactive session we will discuss and offer ways that programs can – and should – better engage their students on the issue of climate change while at the same time becoming more responsible stewards of our planet.
Nathan Scott is the Founder and Director of the Global Climate Corps whose mission is to educate, train and empower global youth to become leaders in addressing the root causes of climate change. Prior to founding the Global Climate Corps, Nathan was the founding Director of the Winterline Global Skills Program, a skills-building gap year program sending students around the world.
Scott is the founder and former director of Pacific Discovery, a 19 year old gap year program, guiding students on journeys of discovery through diverse regions of the world. He has had an interest in climate change for a long time. 22 years ago Scott was arrested after hanging a banner off the Sydney Harbor Bridge, in protest at Australia’s refusal to sign the Kyoto climate change protocol.
“From Voluntourism to Learning Service: Rethinking Ethical Student Engagement”
Claire Bennett
Co-founder of LearningService.info
Voluntourism – combining travel and “helping” is a booming industry and a staple option for students taking a gap year. However recent developments have revealed it to sometimes be causing harm to the very people and causes it purports to help. We offer a new concept, “learning service” as a way to think through and resolve some of these ethical tensions. This interactive workshop will use techniques borrowed from theater and philosophy to engage participants in a series of critical thinking exercises. All activities are those that can be replicated with student groups, and a facilitator’s booklet will be provided to attendees.
Claire Bennett is the co-founder of LearningService.info and an educator with Where There Be Dragons. In the UK she worked on a global citizenship strategy for schools. Now she is living and working in Nepal, running a training organization, leading culturally immersive trips and consulting with voluntourism companies to improve their ethical practices. She is the co-author of Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteering Abroad.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING:
The conference this year is taking an innovative approach, different from previous conferences in that we are hosted at a college with strong gap year roots, and we are taking a deeper approach to professional development than in the past. Starting with a place-based orientation about the history and context for UNC Chapel Hill as our host in the bellwether state of North Carolina, as well as the State of the Field, and the member meeting and going until 4:30pm on the 23rd, we aim to keep all attendees engaged in deepening their professional efforts while also building community within the larger gap year movement.
- Intensive sessions: These are designed as 5 hour sessions to tackle issues vital to our work and professional roles within the gap year field. This deeper dive will provide a foundation for individuals to invest in and uplift their local communities through sharing of knowledge and understanding received at the conference.
- Standard sessions: These are your more typical 45-90 minute sessions facilitated by regular conference attendees. These will highlight topics that are more relevant for shorter discussions and will be in balance to the Intensive sessions, in order to add value for all conference attendees.
Chapel Hill conference Highlight
A performance with Pizarts Dance Gap Year
LOCATION:
This year we are proud to be hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Student Union Building will be our primary host, on the back of much of their social justice efforts on campus – this feels like a match made in heaven. The main conference will take place in the UNC Student Union Building, with full access to campus grounds for outdoor space, and in close proximity to an Official GYA Gap Year College, Warren Wilson College and another local gap year ally, Duke University, this promises to be a veritable who’s who of gap year.
ATTENDEES:
We will share a list of all attendees who have agreed to share their emails, about a month prior to the conference.
HOTELS:
The importance of reserving a hotel room at one of the official Gap Year Associations (GYA) Conference hotels is significant. GYA makes every effort to keep participants expenses at the meeting, registration fees, and hotel rooms for the meeting as low as possible. GYA works hard to negotiate the best hotel rates, and to make the best use of your registration dollars to keep the Conference affordable. By registering for the Conference and reserving a room at one of the official GYA Conference hotels, you are helping to support not only the 2019 GYA Conference but also future GYA Conferences and the overall financial health of the association.
AC Hotel Chapel Hill Downtown
AC Hotel Chapel Hill Downtown, 214 West Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.
This hotel is fully booked. Please select Hampton Inn below to help with our hotel blocks and to stay with another great partner.
Hampton Inn and Suites
Hampton Inn and Suites, 370 E Main Street, Carrboro, NC 27510. GYA has negotiated a discounted conference rate of $119 per night plus tax (currently 13.5%). The contracted rate is currently closed. Room Rate includes complimentary hot breakfast and WiFi. The overnight parking fee of $12 per night has been waived for guests that reserve through the Gap Year Association block. Parking is on the 4th & 5th floor of the adjacent garage. A parking permit must be obtained at check-in. NOTE: Availability and rate cannot be guaranteed once the room block is sold out of after this date.
Reservations can be made by phone at 919-969-6988. Please identify yourself as attending the Gap Year Conference to secure the discounted hotel rate.
MEALS, EXTRAS & SHIPPING:
Lunches, coffee/tea, and snacks will be provided daily. There will be a lively reception during one evening. Breakfasts and dinner will be on your own, however, attendees will have access to student-rates for the on-campus cafeteria, or, take advantage of the great food options in the local area. Free Wifi, and airport shuttle services are anticipated for the conference.
Shipping items to your hotel is possible, although we encourage you double check that your hotel won’t charge a handling fee as is common for conferences.
Shipping directly to UNC Chapel Hill is possible, but we ask you ship later (so they don’t have to hold everything for longer than a few days):
UNC Chapel Hill
Campus Y
Attn: Sarah Smith
180 E Cameron Ave,
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL ASSISTANCE:
GYA has registered the 2019 Gap Year Annual Conference with the US Business Visa Center to assist international attendees in obtaining a temporary visitor visa for business and or to attend an educational conference. If applying for a temporary visitor visa, make note that we have been advised that processing may be delayed during the summer months due to volume so please plan accordingly.
International attendees, please view the U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs by clicking here. GYA is happy to provide a letter of invitation to the 2019 International Gap Year Conference to assist attendees in obtaining a visa. To request a letter of invitation, email the below information to Devon Binder – conference@gapyearassociation.org.
- Full Legal Name (as listed on your passport)
- Title
- Organization
- Home City
- Home Country
AIRPORT OPTIONS:
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is approximately 20 miles from UNC Chapel Hill.
Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) is approximately 65 miles from UNC Chapel Hill.
GROUND TRANSFERS:
Neither GYA-contracted hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service. Uber / Lyft Approximately $30 one way.
CONFERENCE DRESS / WEATHER:
Conference dress is business casual.
The average temperature in October is approximately 70° F. Click here for the current weather.
NOVEMBER 7-10, ORLANDO, FL.
We are proud to announce that our next conference will be held in conjunction with the Association for Experiential Education. Our combined conference offers a compelling reason to attend as both Associations promise to expand mutual attendance and networking opportunities – introducing and highlighting gap years to a much more global audience of colleges, experiential educators, philanthropists, consultants, and professionals. Of course, the fact that gap years are rooted in experiential pedagogies makes this combined conference of added value to members & attendees of both associations. This conference will raise awareness of the value and impact of experiential education in diverse settings and amongst diverse people.
“The Association for Experiential Education welcomes more educators and practitioners into our global community. We believe that bringing together individuals and organizations is essential to further experiential education methodologies and practices around the world. Gap programs are making a tremendous impact, and we look forward to the ideas and collaboration that will arise from our two organizations coming together.” – Rob Smariga, CEO, Association for Experiential Education
The conference will take place at the Doubletree Seaworld Hotel in Orlando. Some highlights include:
- November 7th will be the general pre-conference day, and for the Gap Year Conference will be our main gathering day
- Conference sessions on November 8-10th will be open to all attendees: Gap Year Association AND Association for Experiential Education. There will be two dedicated Gap Year Tracks during these days.
- There is dedicated OUTDOOR SPACE … including a pool for the conference for those entrepreneurial session proposals
- November in Orlando is still pleasant outdoors making for good use of the space
- Sessions will be either 90 minutes or 180 minutes, meaning more opportunity for EXPERIENTIAL learning models
VOICES PROJECT LIVE:
Thanks to our great friends at the Association for Experiential Education, we will be adapting “ActivatEE,” a short, TEDX style concept we’re calling “Voices Project Live.” Speakers are assigned a coach by the GYA to ensure a performance that will inspire – but in the meanwhile, check out our very own Cecilia Polanco, who spoke in 2018 at our AEE + GYA Joint International Conference in Orlando, Florida. Learn more here.
The conference was held in advance of, and in partnership with, the IECA Spring conference for a third year in a row.
2017 SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 6 – Preconference Day:
To attend either of the preconference events, please register at the general conference registration page. The preconference day is limited to 30 attendees in each session so please register early. Attendance at future Accreditation Workshops is required for all Accredited members at least once every third year.
- 9:00am – 12:00pm: “10 Years in Operations or, AGA-Accredited.” Time for AGA Accredited and those organizations in operation for longer than 10 years – $60 includes lunch
- 9:00am – 12:00pm: “Screening Participants for International Programs” with Bill Frederick and his team from Lodestone Safety International who bring to us arguably one of the most comprehensive backgrounds in international risk management in the country. Robust participant screening programs can effectively reduce the number of such instances. However, concern for violating legal statutes or creating a greater duty of care often inhibits the objective analysis of participant’s medical and mental health histories. This session will survey the pertinent legal statutes and share some perspectives as to their applicability to your program or international programs in general. We’ll look at a multi-tiered system of potential components, approaches and procedures – $60 includes lunch
- 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Lunch
- 1:00pm – 4:00pm: “Accreditation Workshop.” For those organizations interested in Accreditation and new to the Standards & Accreditation process – $60 includes lunch
- 1:00pm – 4:00pm: “Mentorship & Rites of Passage.” Facilitated by Randy Russell, this is a deep dive into good mentorship practices and cultivating the power of a Rite of Passage for this age – $60 includes lunch
Sunday, May 7 – Conference Day One:
- 9:00am – 10:00am: Brian Stafford Keynote, Introduction to the Conference, State of the Field
- 10:00am – 10:30am: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 10:30am – 11:45am: Concurrent 75 minute panel sessions to present some of the best we know
- “No Easy Answers: Addressing the Issue of Substance Misuse, Abuse, and Addiction on Gap Year Programs” – Scott Burnett, Pacific Discovery & Robin Pendoley, Thinking Beyond Borders
- “Launching Successfully: Mental Health Challenges and Supports for a Positive Gap Year” – Rachel Singer, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
- “Increasing Diversity: Scholarships are NOT the Answer” – Hansell Bourdon, Carpe Mundi
- 11:45am – 12:00pm: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 12:00pm – 12:45pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Gap Year Website Effectiveness” – Kate Warren, Center for Interim Programs
- “The Male Paradigm and its Challenges: Guys, Gap Years, and Behavior” – William Schiffelbein, Colorado College
- “Mind the Gap: Considerations in Building a Gap Year Program” – Elizabeth Coder, Elon University
- “AGA Committee on Inclusion & Access: Open table discussion and priority-setting for the next year” – Ethan Knight, AGA & Stacey Williams, Pacific Discovery
- “The Art of Organized Chaos – Reconstructing the Mental Model as a Pathway to Global Success” – Adi Hila Yoffe & Tamar Zilbershatz, Masa Israel
- “The Cognitive Benefits of Intercultural Gap Experiences”[part 1 of 2] – Danny Recio, The Bridge Costa Rica
- 12:45pm – 2:15pm: Lunch
- 2:15pm – 3:00pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Turning Higher Education Frontwards” – Michelle Jones, Wayfinding Academy 2-year College
- “The Cognitive Benefits of Intercultural Gap Experiences”[part 2 of 2] – Danny Recio, The Bridge Costa Rica
- “Reflecting on Experience: Promoting Learning & Transformation” – Neal Taylor, Expedition Education
- “AGA Committee on Standards & Accreditation: Open table discussion and priority-setting” – Ethan Knight, AGA
- “So… is this Program Just for Rich Kids? Solving the Gap Year PR Problem” – Ben Welbourn & Julien Goetz, Winterline Global Skills
- “A GAP Year on Every Resume” – Sean Keener & Jennifer Miller, Boots N All / AirTreks / Travel Access Project
- 3:00pm – 3:15pm: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 3:15pm – 4:00pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Part 1 of 2: Mental Health Crisis Response: A Real-Time Table Top Exercise” – Gary Robinson & Laura Thompson, P3 Mental Health Advisors, and Stacey Williams, Pacific Discovery, and Dave Dennis, Rustic Pathways
- “Part 1 of 2: Creating Cultures for Student Empowerment and Accountability” – Aaron Slosberg, Where There Be Dragons
- “Part 1 of 2: Cultural Competence Framework: Context and Content for Pre, During, and Post-Service Training” – Nolan Sutker, World Teach
- “AGA Committee on Growing the Field: Open table discussion and priority-setting” – Joe O’Shea, Florida State University & AGA Board President
- “Discrimination, Intolerance, and Objectivity – Navigating Increasingly Diverse Group Dynamics in a Hyper-Political Era” – Jane Sarouhan, Center for Interim Programs, and Killian O’Kelly & Ryan Allen, Irish Gap Year
- “Part 1 of 2: Service Years as Gap Years” – Jenna Dell, Service Year Alliance
- 4:00pm – 4:15pm: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 4:15pm – 5:00pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Part 2 of 2: Mental Health Crisis Response: A Real-Time Table Top Exercise” (Note, for this session, part 2 is closed unless attending part 1) – Gary Robinson & Laura Thompson, P3 Mental Health Advisors, and Stacey Williams, Pacific Discovery, and Dave Dennis, Rustic Pathways
- “Part 2 of 2: Creating Cultures for Student Empowerment and Accountability” – Aaron Slosberg, Where There Be Dragons
- “Part 2 of 2: Cultural Competence Framework: Context and Content for Pre, During, and Post-Service Training” – Nolan Sutker, World Teach
- “AGA Committee on Research: Open table discussion and priority-setting” – Karl Haigler, Haigler Enterprises, Author, AGA Board & Luke Parrot, Kivu Gap Year
- “Exploring Barriers to Entry for Lower Income & Rural – Summary Research & Discussion” – Erin Barnhart, Effective Altruism
- “Part 2 of 2: Service Years as Gap Years” – Jenna Dell, Service Year Alliance
- 5:30pm – 7:00pm: End of Day Reception hosted by local Gap Year Organizations: Taylor The Gap Consulting, Where There Be Dragons, Thinking Beyond Borders, High Mountain Institute, Outward Bound, & Youth International
Monday, May 8 – Conference Day Two:
- 9:00am – 10:00am: Lauren Casteel Keynote, Shared Vision for Gap Year, Innovations at the AGA
- 10:00am – 10:30am: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 10:30am – 11:45am: Concurrent 75 minute panel sessions to present some of the best we know
- “Working with Participants with Disabilities, One-on-One” – Juanita Lillie, Abroad with Disabilities
- “Reducing Barriers to Gap Years: A Case Study” – Sarah Smith & Cecilia Polanco (alumnae), UNC Chapel Hill
- “The Visual Transcript: The Next Evolution of Experiential Academic Transcriptions” – Rod Parks, Elon University
- 11:45am – 12:00pm: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 12:00pm – 12:45pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Shattering the Silence of Sexual Violence: Tips for Effectively Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence” – Stacey Williams, Pacific Discovery & Laura Thompson, P3 Mental Health
- “Discrimination, Intolerance, and Objectivity – Navigating Increasingly Diverse Group Dynamics in a Hyper-Political Era. Roundtable 2nd offering” – Jane Sarouhan, Center for Interim Programs, and Jake Lewis, Gap at Glen Brook
- “Managing Parent Relationships on Program: Best Practices for Improving Outcomes for Students” – Jennifer Miller, Travel Access Project
- “The Transformative Potential of Gap Years” – Erin Johnston, Stanford University
- “AGA Committee on Ethics and Judicial Processes – Open table discussion and priority-setting” – Candice Washington, Hosteling International USA
- “Strategies for Minimizing Risks in your Contractor & Partner Relationships” – Doug Stevens, Caplan and Earnest LLC
- 12:45pm – 2:15pm: Lunch
- 2:15pm – 3:00pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Meeting Individual Students ‘Where They Are’ in a Group Setting During a Gap Semester” – Billy O’Donnell, Ridge Mountain Academy
- “Mind the Gap While Abroad – an Insurance Crash Course” – Maggie Robinson, iNext Insurance
- “Adding New Locations, Themes & Curricula” – Bull & Jason Sarouhan, Center for Interim Programs
- “AGA Committee on Partnerships & Memberships – Open table discussion and priority-setting” – Mitch Gordon, GoOverseas
- “Better Together: Towards a Smoother Gap-to-College Transition” – Erin Jensen, Portland State University
- 3:00pm – 3:15pm: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 3:15pm – 4:00pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Part 1 of 2: Rethinking Student Dismissals” – Reed Harwood & Aaron Slosberg, Where There Be Dragons
- “Part 1 of 2: Using Digital Learning Technology to Make International Volunteering and Internship Gap Years More Ethical, Educational, and Affordable” – Willy Oppenheim & Will Horne, Omprakash
- “Part 1 of 2: Alumni Voices: A Deeper Look at the AGA 2015 Alumni Survey Data” – Corinne Guidi, PhD Extraordinaire
- “1st offering: AGA Think Tank – Meet the Leadership of AGA and Collaborate on Big-Picture Efforts” – Ethan Knight, AGA
- “You Belong To The World: An Ecological Lens for Gap Reflection” – Jake Lewis & Alison Sever, Gap at Glen Brook
- Open for Crowd-Sourced Topic to be decided Sunday …
- 4:00pm – 4:15pm: break/tea/coffee/snacks/games/networking
- 4:15pm – 5:00pm: Concurrently Facilitated 45 minute Roundtable Discussions
- “Part 2 of 2: Rethinking Student Dismissals” – Reed Harwood & Aaron Slosberg, Where There Be Dragons
- “Part 2 of 2: Using Digital Learning Technology to Make International Volunteering and Internship Gap Years More Ethical, Educational, and Affordable” – Willy Oppenheim & Will Horne, Omprakash
- “Part 2 of 2: Alumni Voices: A Deeper Look at the AGA 2015 Alumni Survey Data” – Corinne Guidi, PhD Extraordinaire
- “2nd offering: AGA Think Tank – Meet the Leadership of AGA and Collaborate on Big-Picture Efforts” – Ethan Knight, AGA
- Open for Crowd-Sourced Topic to be decided Sunday …
- Open for Crowd-Sourced Topic to be decided Sunday …
- 5:30pm – 7:00pm: Free time to network and explore Denver
Tuesday, May 9th – Free Time for Work Catch-up & Fun Activities:
- Free Denver walking tour-2 hours long. Meet at Civic Center Park at 10am. Flat 1.8 miles in length and wheelchair accessible. Meeting place-The Veteran’s Memorial, 1449 Lincoln St., Denver, CO.
- The Veteran’s Memorial is located one block west (towards the mountains) of the Capitol building. Colfax Ave. is to the north, 14th Ave. is to the south, Lincoln St. is directly east and Broadway is to the west. Walking distance from hotel.Ending location-Coors Field (baseball stadium), 2001 Blake St.
- United States Mint Tour, walking distance from hotel. 320 West Colfax Avenue. Free tour tickets are available at the Tour Information window located at the Gift Shop entrance gate on Cherokee Street, between West Colfax Avenue and West 14th Avenue. Tickets are for same-day tours only; no advance tickets are available. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to 5 per person. All visitors must be at the tour entrance located on Cherokee Street 30 minutes before their scheduled tour time. Tour hours-8am-3:30pm and are 45 minutes in length. Sale information-#303-572-9500. DenMintTourRes@usmint.treas.gov, Special Requirements-If you require special assistance (e.g., sign language interpreters, wheelchair assistance) please contact us at least ten days in advance by email DenMintTourRes@usmint.treas.gov, or call at 303-405-4761.
- Denver Zoo-Uber
- Larimer Square-shopping/restaurants (walking distance)
- Travelers of Lost Dimension
- The Secret Garden
- Coors Field-May 8 and 9, 6:40pm. Rockies vs World Series champions Chicago Cubs-both nights. coorsfield.eventticketscenter.com or 866-820-4553 for tickets. (16th Street shuttle and walk)Denver Center for Performance Arts (200 feet away from Curtis): check out the shows on www.denvercenter.org for dates and times and purchase of tickets. These three shows/musicals are showing at the smaller theaters during the conference:
16th street mall-2 blocks from Curtis-restaurants, bars
- Bowling-Lucky Strike (near 16th Street Pavilions-walking distance)
- Denver Art Museum (walking distance)
- Anschutz Museum- Navarre building (walking distance)
- Denver open market -Rhino (Uber)
- The Source-shops and restaurants(Uber)
- REI-large shopping mountaineering outlet (16th street shuttle and walking distance)
- Kayak at confluence of Platte River (walking distance)
- bike path/bike rental (through hotel) by the hour or day (Platte River Greenway bike path is near hotel)
- Denver Aquarium-shuttle and walk or Uber
- Union Station-bars/restaurants (16th street shuttle)
Wednesday, May 10 – IECA Conference:
- The IECA Conference officially starts Wednesday with their almost 2,000 anticipated attendees. We encourage you to visit and register separately for their conference.
- 5:45pm – 7:30pm: AGA is hosting a reception at the IECA conference for AGA Accredited Members to showcase the high quality and diversity of Gap Year programs we represent. There is an additional fee to cover our costs and this will be a cocktail/appetizer event for IECs to come and visit.
Remembering the 2016 Conference
The 2016 Gap Year conference was hosted in partnership with EnRoute Gap Year Consulting and the Independent Educational Consultants Association. The IECA Spring Conference followed ours and was designed for the Independent Educational Consultant community.
2016 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Sunday, May 1:
- 9:00am – 10:00am: All attendees are welcome. Ethan will give an update on AGA, its committees, and the State of the Field. Karl Haigler, AGA Board Member & Research Committee Chair, will share results of the National Alumni Survey. And we will share information about a new online curricula available to all AGA members called the Impact Abroad Toolkit.
- 10:15am – 11:30am: Concurrent panel sessions to present some of the best we know in the realm of program security, mental health, and more. The panel sessions are available for any attendee to attend any session.
- “Mental Health” – Led by Stephen Barnes and Gary Robinson, Thinking Beyond Borders Gap Year Program
- “Ethical Volunteering” – Led by Willy Oppenheim, Omprakash EdGE Gap Year Program
- 11:30am – 1:00pm: Lunch & networking
- 1:00pm – 1:15pm: Introduction to Discussion Roundtable options
- 1:15pm – 2:45pm: Concurrent discussion-centered Roundtables. We will have different tracks for Educational Consultants and Program Providers.
- PROVIDERS – “Research Discussion” – current research efforts by programs highlighting methodology and utility
- PROVIDERS – “Marketing 1” – best practices in marketing to grow your enrollment
- PROVIDERS – “Ethical Media & Outreach” – where responsibility to local communities meets educating students and marketing to enrollment
- PROVIDERS – “China Doesn’t Gap, But Change Is In The Air” – how to grow your enrollment of students from China
- PROVIDERS – “Rites of Passage – what we’re really doing” – tying the art of student mentoring to the systems on program
- CONSULTANTS – “Interviewing Programs” – an introduction for how to make the most of your time interviewing providers
- CONSULTANTS – “Domestic Programs” – the ups, downs, and options for domestic programs
- CONSULTANTS – “Insurance” – education on the critical parts of insurance – making sure your students are covered
- CONSULTANTS – “Navigating Gap Years with Parents” – it’s the hardest part and this is how it’s done best
- 2:45pm – 3:00pm: Introduction to Roundtable options + Coffee
- 3:00pm – 4:30pm: Roundtables as different tracks for IECs and Program Providers.
- PROVIDERS – “Marketing 2” – lead conversion
- PROVIDERS – “College Credit & Financial Aid” – the pros, cons, ups and downs and how providers can make this work
- PROVIDERS – “Training and Maintaining In-Country Staff” – best practices for ensuring quality carries through to the students
- PROVIDERS – “Nonprofit Help Group” – fundraising for your nonprofit including grantwriting efforts
- PROVIDERS – “Growing the Field Committee” – download of current committee efforts and discusion for goal setting in next year
- CONSULTANTS – “Knowing Which Students are Good Gap Year Candidates” – when to insist on “the conversation” and when to float it
- CONSULTANTS – “Gap Year Affordability” – finding the sweet spot in finances and knowing student financial aid options
- CONSULTANTS – “Managing Expectations for Gap Year” – popular locations, common outcomes, and regular pitfalls
- CONSULTANTS – “Useful Resources for Consultants” – know your tools
- End of Day Reception – EVERYONE IS INVITED. Co-hosted by Ridge Mountain Academy & GoOverseas.com
Monday, May 2:
- 9:00am – 10:00am: Keynote Speaker – Rick Weissbourd, Harvard Graduate School of Education, author of Turning the Tide report on making college admissions more human-friendly.
- 10:15am – 11:30am: Concurrent panel sessions to present some of the best we know. All attendees are welcome to any session this day.
- “Effective school outreach” – Led by Marie Schwartz, CEO, TeenLife.com
- “Student Panel: What Convinced Me to Take a Gap Year” – Facilitated by Cara Murray & Nathan Scott, Winterline Gap Year Program
- 11:30am – 1:00pm: Lunch & networking
- 1:00pm – 1:15pm: Introduction to Discussion Roundtable options
- 1:15pm – 2:45pm: Concurrent discussion-centered Roundtables. This second day will be SHARED tracks for Educational Consultants and Program Providers.
- EVERYONE – “Alcohol and Other Substances on Program” – proactive and reactive methods to address a very complicated issue
- EVERYONE – “Risk Management in the Field” – with Bill Frederick of Lodestone, this is a discussion led by the best in the field
- EVERYONE – “Research Committee” – current efforts of research in the field and how to contribute
- EVERYONE – “Learning Differences on Gap Year” – accommodating students with learning differences
- EVERYONE – “What Makes it ‘Transformational?'” – what are the antecedents to maximize student growth?
- EVERYONE – “Predeparture Preparation” – predeparture is a crucial time to push student growth – what are you and your peers doing?
- EVERYONE – “Other” – left intentionally undefined
- 2:45pm – 3:00pm: Introduction to Roundtable options + Coffee
- 3:00pm – 4:30pm: Roundtables as SHARED track for IECs and Program Providers.
- EVERYONE – “Ethical Volunteering” – a continuation of the ethics in volunteering for a broad range of program types
- EVERYONE – “Standards & Accreditation Committee” – download of current committee efforts and discussion for goal setting in next year (what would it take to be an outcomes-defined Standards process?)
- EVERYONE – “The Gap Year Admissions Process” – how are different organizations covering their bases with this critical element of the student experience?
- EVERYONE – “Using the State Department as a Resource” – Overseas Security Advisory Council, the State Department, their limits, and what can Commonwealth countries avail themselves of?
- EVERYONE – “Emerging Adulthood” – understanding the young adult brain and speaking effectively to it
- EVERYONE – “Technology on Program” – idealogical and practical considerations of technology use while on program
- EVERYONE – “Other” – left intentionally undefined
- End of Day Reception – EVERYONE IS INVITED. Hosted by TeenLife Media
Tuesday, May 3: GAP N GO & School Visits
9:00am – 4:00pm: “Gap N Go” opportunity that costs an additional $200 for Providers, and $150 for IECs. This is a proven format where organizations have a dedicated 25 minutes with pre-registered IECs to share about their program, develop a personal relationship with program representatives (usually holding some executive role), and for IECs to ask questions. Lunch and drinks will be provided.
- The current list of Gap N Go Providers are:
James Bridge – InterExchange, Jake Lewis – Gap at Glen Brook, Richard Nimmo – Blue Ventures Expeditions, Danny Ponce-Taylor – Global Vision International, Eva Vanek – Where There Be Dragons, Delores Fabregas – CIEE, Rebecca Thomas – Pacific Discovery, Sophia Weeks – ARCC Gap Year, Stephen Barnes – Thinking Beyond Borders, Randy Russell – InnerPath Works, Tim Porter-DeVriese – Rustic Pathways, Liz Hesterberg – Cross Cultural Solutions, Jenny Doder – Academic Programs International (API). Note that the waitlist is currently two organizations deep. - The current list of Gap N Go IECs are:
Diane Geller, Jason & Jane Sarouhan, Julie Gross, Lisa Thomas, Betsy Donnelly, Ramona Wessel, Alex Steinert-Evoy, Sandy Storer, Katie Sterns, Lucy Shih, and Katie Garrett.
9:00am – 4:00pm: For providers and attendees NOT attending the Gap N Go event, we will have some loosely structured marketing opportunities with two local schools and unstructured networking opportunities with IECs who arrive early. Please plan on bringing promotional materials for these events. For those wishing to do a school visit, please email Madelaine Eulich to RSVP. The following two schools will be stacked and AGA will reimburse transportation costs for this event.
- Meridian Academy
10:15am – 11:00am
54 Brookside Avenue
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 277-1118Meridian Academy is an independent, diverse, project-based school serving sixth through twelfth graders in the Boston area. The visit to Meridian Academy will be held from 10:15am – 11:00am on Tuesday, May 3. Students in tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades will be in attendance (roughly 28 students).
- Buckingham, Browne, & Nichols
12:40pm – 1:20pm
80 Gerrys Landing Rd
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 547-6100Buckingham, Browne, & Nichols (or BB&N) is a private day school based in Cambridge and serving pre-K through twelfth graders. The visit to BB&N will be held from 12:40pm – 1:20pm on Tuesday, May 3.
Wednesday, May 4 – May 7: IECA Conference
- The IECA Conference officially starts Wednesday with some of the 1,500 attendees. Please use your $100 AGA discount code to register and attend the IECA Conference and network with this amazing body of educational consultants and experts.