WHAT ABOUT TAKING A GAP YEAR?

Last week we explored three common myths about taking a gap year.  A gap year is a unique opportunity to take time away from your regular routine based on your budget, timeline and goals.  But what about school -good question!  This week we are exploring a theme of myths related to post-secondary planning and a gap year.We hope it answers some of your questions,future gappers and families!

Part Two: What about a post-secondary education? 

Going back, getting started and why a gap year can help!

En route to Colca Canyon, Peru

4. They/You will lose a year. When personal discovery and learning takes place, - nothing is lost! Gappers have experienced many different scenarios when working with universities/colleges. Start by looking into your university/college to see if they offer a deferral (or sabbatical) option so that you can delay the start of your first (or next) year. If you have to re-apply, consider building your portfolio and experiences over the course of a gap year to demonstrate your commitment to education in your field.  Some individuals are not ready to embark on their next educational steps after high school.  Here is a video we have put together where some of our clients share their stories about taking a structured gap year.

5. They/You will never return/go to school. By taking a gap year and committing to learning more about the world around you and how you fit into the larger picture  you have the potential to return more motivated, passionate and dedicated to a field that truly inspires you. This renewed sense of energy and self awareness helps young adults commit to an educational path or direction that engages them now and  in their future.

6. Universities/colleges frown on gap years. Gap years have been encouraged in Australia and the UK for decades - they are just starting to be recognized in North America.    Check out what Harvard, Parenting Blogs and Princeton have to say about gap years in North America. Want to help us put gap years on the radar of universities and colleges?  Please sign our petition on the top right corner of our blog!

Join us again next week as we explore part three in our series: stories of our gappers! We will start to share with you the plethora of stories, experiences and adventures of the individuals we work.

Have we de-mystified gap years for you? Have you started dreaming or planning some time away from your regular routine? Let us know below!

Gapper Reflection on the Impact of his Volunteering

Saturday:
I left costa rica at 930am. The bus ride was long and seemed to stretch for hours. It took about 2 hours to reach the border. After an hour to the border of costa rica, and another hour at the border to nicaragua I finally began my travels through nicaragua. It was overwhelming being back. Even after only being here a week, it was enough to make it feel like a second home. I had forgotten how truly beautiful nicaragua was, how welcoming and friendly the people are, and how it truly made me thankful for the opportunity to return so soon.

Upon my arrival we talked for hours about my experience between nicaragua and costa rica. I met her two dogs Quien and Rudo and the turtle who lives in her backyard. Bonnie is a saint, she moved to nicaragua and started bridges to community with a few others. She has never looked back. She's an inspiration to everyone. It felt so good to be back amongst companions who felt as I do towards the people of nicaragua.

Sunday:
This morning I awoke and went to see my sponsor family. They were overjoyed to see me. They said its rare for volunteers to come back and visit so they were truly grateful for both myself and what I'd done and coming back to see the final product. Julio, the father of the house is going to stop by bonnies tomorrow to talk and hang out.
In the afternoon adelia and I went to see the Ipica show. Its a horse parade. They march and dance their horses up the street to music it was really cool.
For dinner we went to grenada and ate at a fusion resturaunt, I'd remembered it from our experience in january. Then the power went out, yet again haha hurricane factor. So we played yahtzee in the dark haha it was lots of fun.

Monday:
Today I got to work on a house, it was the starting with digging and cement foundations only worked about an hour by the time I got there, but it was fun none the less. I really enjoyed it. I got back in time to help mix cement as well as organize the piles of wood.
 I missed the crew so it was good to see them all. After I got back I had a few things to take care of and then my sponsor julio came by for a few hours and we exchanged words of home, as best we could. Taught each other different words and talked of the pronounciatin similarities in certain words.
Its my last night here and I'm really going to miss it. Its truly magnificent place. Full of life and hope. I was once again told that I was an angel sent by god, that left me speechless. I am unable to truly grasp
the depth of the emotion they must feel. To me it was fundraising for a family I wanted to help, no major task really, yet for them its life altering.

Nicaragua is never far from my mind. It truly changes the way you view reality and at the same time being here can bring you true happiness. Coming down to build a home and raise money had us regarded as angels, to this day they still prayer for us. Imagine having such a great impact on
the lives of a family that they are speechless in their gratitude and when words come out they make you speechless with pride.

I am going to miss it the second I leave :( I'm not looking forward to leaving.

Blogging Gapper from India

Here is a blog from our gapper, Lina, from her trip to India:

Hello to all from India again.

This past week we spent in a small village outside of Jhadol. We arrived there after a bumpy ride
of about two hours from Udaipur on the dusty roads of Rajasthan. We spent the first couple of days
sleeping in the boarding school. Our days consisted of excursions into the city of Jhadol, a visit to a local village to listen to some music and show off our Indian folk dancing, and a hike up a nearby mountain.

The village life moved at a much different pace than in the city and we all had time to settle down and catch our breath. Since the Diwali holiday was a couple of days before, when we arrived in the village it took the girls and the workers a while to trickle back to work. When they decided to return we had a full schedule during the days.

Our village home stay was a 10 minute walk from the school we taught at. The houses were all very close together and we felt very welcome in the homes of the villagers. Our days would begin at sun rise. The families would begin the chores and we would follow them around helping with what we could. After chai, we would head back over to the boarding area to eat meals.

Late mornings consisted of work in the fields and teaching at the girls' school. Teaching was both fun
and challenging. We split into teams of three and worked in different classrooms teaching various levels of English. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes was a huge hit as was the itsy bitsy spider. After about an hour of class, we would go to recess. The girls wore us out with games of tag, red-light green-light, frisbee, and duck duck goose. We would then eat lunch and take a quick breather.

In the afternoons, we spent time on construction at the teacher's school located right next to the girls'
school. We became pros at carrying sand and bricks on our heads as we ascended the stairs. We also
spent time mixing cement and plastering the walls. By the end of the days we were pretty exhausted, but we could usually count on our host families to encourage us into a dance party.

Other than our normal daily schedule we found time to partake in a number of different activities. The student teachers who were staying at the boarding house were always willing to teach us some
new dance moves and were fun to hang out with. We also learned to play kabbadi, an Indian sport which is a combination of red rover and tag. Halloween was not forgotten and the group got in costume and celebrated with candy and ghost stories. All in all it was a busy week full of new experiences and lots of fun volunteering.

We begin a new leg of our trip tonight as we head north to Amritsar.

Thanks for your continued interest in our adventure!
Lizzie and Lina

Youth Engagement - Not Rocket Science

In March of 2009, the Canadian Heritage, Citizen Participation Branch in partnership with the Atlantic Evaluation Group, Inc. published a report entitled “Youth Participation in Arts, Heritage, Culture and Community” that explored the topic of engaging youth in our communities.  They talked with community organizations that work with youth as well as to the youth directly for their study.

The findings are not extreme, nor are they surprising but they shine a bright light onto the values of our youth.  Here are a few of the ideas that stood out for me while reading the article:

1. Youth want to have positive relationships with adults, they seek to be treated with respect and to be heard.
2. They want to be engaged as a whole person - in their feeling of belonging, in acknowledging their contributions and by providing them with opportunities to contribute to society.
3. Young people feel that they do not know how to become involved in their communities - they need the encouragement of their mentors, teachers, parents or older youth to present them with opportunities to get involved.
4. Youth want to be involved in all stages of projects - from planning, through implimentation and then be kept in the loop with the after-effects of their contributions.  A thank you note or an honorarium are also appreciated!
5. “FACEBOOK DOES NOT REPLACE FACE-TO-FACE” (Fuller, 2009, pg, 16, emphasis added).  Youth still value interacting with each other in person - the internet is for communicating but does not override getting together.

How can you engage the youth in your community? How can you remove barriers to their involvement?   How can you help them find their voice and contribute in a meaningful way?

Read the full article here: http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/pc-cp/publctn/2009-01/index-eng.cfm  

So what's a gap year anyway?

Are you curious about a gap year?
Here's a definition:
A time away from a normal routine for youth to experience personal growth through volunteerism, travel and work.

Here's the advantage of working with mygapyear.
" We partner with youth to create a meaningful year. Through

• coaching, building emotional intelligence and leadership development
• a researched and personalized gap year plan
• ongoing support and encouragement through the gap year experience

our unique approach develops confident, empowered young adults ready for the challenges that lie ahead."

So if you could take the time, how would you spend it?

Visit www.mygapyear.ca now