FINDING YOUR CHALLENGE ZONE by GYA admin Photo: Trek EpicA comfort zone is a nice place to be. It is easy, it is relaxing, it is…well, very comfortable. It is important for us to occupy our comfort zones regularly: a comfort zone minimizes stress and anxiety, gives us a sense of control over our lives and environments, and allows us the satisfaction of feeling like we have enough—love, support, nourishment, care—even for just a moment. This is an essential space for humans to maintain if we don’t want to exist in a constant state of adrenaline- and cortisol-fueled movement through…
Learning & Reflection
FAFSA DELAYS: HOW TO PLAN A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE FOR AN UNEXPECTED GAP YEAR by GYA admin Photo: YMCA of the RockiesApril 2024 has seen a noticeable uptick in REPORTS OF ongoing issues from the rocky rollout of the updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). At this point in the year, continued FAFSA delays will have serious implications for many college-bound high school seniors who need to make their college acceptance decisions based on available financial aid packages. For many, it might mean delaying their college start altogether, leaving a large body of students feeling suddenly unmoored as they…
An essential and holistic best practice for study abroad and gap year programming includes staff training about the life stage of Emerging Adulthood. Understanding the gifts and challenges of 18-25 year-olds is key. Knowing who our students are broadens professional skill sets for preparing students and staff for successful learning experiences in new and different contexts. Characteristics of Emerging Adulthood (J. Arnett. 2004) include a long period for exploring a wide range of possibilities for career choices and relationships. Of particular note is that Emerging Adulthood is a stage of optimism and possibilities.
Ethical Engagement with Animals on Gap Year Experiences by Nora Livingstone, Animal Experience International (AEI) If your program connects with community-based organizations that work with animals, and you want to follow best practices and avoid common pitfalls to students volunteering with animals, please read on for some valuable resources. If you’re a potential gap year student interested in volunteering with animals and interested in ethical best practices for doing so, we hope that this blog will be a useful resource for you as well. While planning to work with animals, consider their wellbeing using the following framework. There are 5…
What the Pandemic has Taught Us About Resilience by Emily Rosser and Elizabeth Bezark, with commentary from the wider gap year community What is resilience? How do we achieve it and how do we use it? Individually and collectively. In Option B, Sheryl Sandberg writes about resilience in crisis situations and what people can do to manage our responses to crises. In an excerpt of that book, Sandberg says that: “Resilience doesn’t mean rejecting unpleasant emotions. And letting emotions in doesn’t give them power over us; rather, it gives them room to move through us. Sometimes voicing fear gives us…
Advice for Parents from Gap Year Parents by Julia Rogers As a GYA-Accredited Gap Year Consultant, I work closely with students to design meaningful plans for their year out. Whether a consultant is involved or not, parents play a pivotal role in their child’s gap year. They can help set reasonable boundaries, provide encouragement, and offer support during this transformative rite of passage. I always remind parents that a gap year is also a milestone in their lives – watching your child fledge is full of its own set of emotions. In many ways, gap year parents are asked to…
A Bite Into the Big Apple Our Food Justice Cookbook and Reflections on our Food and Sustainability Focused Gap Year Semester by Clara Pitt and Leila Tilin We chose to spend the first half of our gap year semester with the Living City Project (LCP) investigating the NYC food system, its inner workings, and the people and organizations that are fighting for justice and change within this system. We felt guided by one question specifically: How can we build a sustainable and equitable food system that respects our diversity, nourishes our citizens, and protects our planet? We chose to study…
Taking an Intentional Gap Year Through AmeriCorps Service by Ally Bush For some, taking a gap year can be intimidating. You’re just out of high school or a recent college graduate, unsure of where to take your next step. Travel is an option, but it can be expensive. Doing an internship is an alternative, but often, internships are unpaid and can be highly competitive. For Justin Harrison, an AmeriCorps service term seemed like the perfect fit. Justin was two years into a four-year degree at New York University, but he was stressed about his future. He had realized that engineering…
Holistic and Sustainable Travel by Sydney Yelton With gap years on the rise, and people becoming comfortable traveling across borders again, it’s time to seriously think about the way we traveled in the past, and how we want travel to look like today and in the future. The global pandemic has given travel a new platform. There has been an opportunity, just like every other industry and system within our world, for the people to re-evaluate our actions and ideas around travel. We can either treat this time as a reset, a chance to be better, or stick to old…
Applying Gap Year Lessons to Life Post Gap-Year by Eva Walker Not many people are able to really be present in the moments of their lives that matter, the simple ones that actually shape their path. Many people only get to see their growth in an existential rearview mirror, having passed by some of their littlest but most formative turning points without even realizing it. When I set out on my gap year, determined to find out where my need for adventure could take me, I inadvertently learned how to be present in my most important days while they were…