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MAKE YOUR GAP YEAR MEANINGFUL

by Jamie Littlefield
gap year

A gap year is a twelve month break between high school and college. Many teenagers use their gap year to travel abroad before embarking on the next chapter of their lives. A year by the beach can be fun. But, a service-oriented gap year volunteer vacation can help a teen mature into an adult and can make a big difference to an inner-city school, a rural orphanage, or a developing community.

Volunteer-oriented gap years give teens the chance to discover their interests before entering college. Gap years have been the turning point for many young people who decided to pursue a different major or select a different school after having a life-changing gap year experience.

A gap year abroad gives a teen the opportunity to experience another culture, learn a new language, and develop leadership skills. Postponing college for a gap year has such a positive effect on education that many schools gladly accept deferrals so that their students can take a gap year before enrolling in classes. Some colleges will even grant credit for gap year experience.

Most people will never have a better opportunity to spend so much time serving others. The 12 months that a young person contributes can have a profound effect on the people and community he serves. For instance, volunteers can spend their gap year building schools, teaching art, caring for babies born with AIDS, or tutoring autistic children.

  • Projects Abroad provides gap year volunteer opportunities in dozens of countries, including: Argentina, China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Romania, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Volunteers can teach English, care for orphans, promote healthcare, work on community projects, and help animals.
  • Cross Cultural solutions offers gap year trips to ten countries, including: Brazil, China, Guatemala, Russia, and Thailand. Volunteers participate in a variety of services including caring for children in orphanages, tutoring at schools, caring for the elderly, helping disabled people, and working with community organizations.
  • LeapNow offers a unique gap year experience. High school graduates in this 9-month program meet with a group to learn a new language, perform service, and explore a new culture. They spend the last months of the program engaged in a solo internship of their own choosing.
  • AmeriCorps provides year-long gap year service opportunities in America. Volunteers take on a variety of projects including mentoring children, building new homes for families, helping victims of domestic violence, restoring parks, and responding to natural disasters. Volunteers are awarded an educational grant at the end of their service.
  • City Year Corps organizes a 12-month service experience for young adults. Volunteers work on various local projects including tutoring children, running after-school programs, organizing children's day camps, and working to rebuild communities. After completing over 1,700 service hours, volunteers will be awarded an educational grant.

A young volunteer will return from a gap year with a new perspective on life and twelve months of meaningful memories.