The Gap Year: Passion for Social Change

Passion for social change stems from the experience of witnessing an opportunity to resolve a problem either at home or abroad – and almost always outside of the box (four walls of a class room).

The key benefit to gap year is an opportunity to replace the routine of classes back-to-back for twenty years with complete immersion into a new experience either at home or abroad - ranging from teaching English in another country to City Year service at home. This experience provides a new perspective for students towards the world and how they see their role in the world as world citizens.

While one potential down side to gap year could take the form of financial needs to support oneself - there are several programs that offer some stipends. Other than that potential financial question, the benefits to gap year far outweigh any problems.

While students take action to gain a wider, more integrated perspective of themselves and the world's needs, Social Entrepreneurs can take the initiative to show students, "YES, YOU CAN DO GOOD FOR THE WORLD AND YOURSELF".

As a social entrepreneur myself, I would be happy to hear students and other social entrepreneurs thoughts, experiences, and comments.

I agree with you Elise and it looks like there are many social entrepreneurs taking on this challenge. I mentioned above in the introduction the inspired work of Thinking Beyond Borders. I also just heard about two Harvard Business School students Abby Falik and Jesse Torrence who will be launching Global Citizen Year (GCY), an initiative that seeks to institutionalize a year of global civilian service to fundamentally transform how young Americans understand and act on their responsibilities as global citizens. With a long-term goal of engaging 10,000 young Americans annually, they envision a world in which the impact of GCY is as revolutionary to the US discourse on global poverty as Teach For America has been for education. Very exciting initiatives indeed!

I like the idea of "Gap Year" program after students finish high school. This program in one way or another can allow students to be exposed to things that they can apply at the time of their college life, after they have served for a year in a foreign country, to understand the level of differences between what they are offered at home to and what is offered elsewhere.

In my humble judgment, the gap year program can still be extended to students even within the country if finance becomes an issue. I know even at home some students may still find it difficult to benefit from such a program, but at home it can be affordable than abroad. My suggestion about this program can be to give students the opportunity to go in the real world just right after they graduate from high school to get some experience, and to learn about the reality of life so they can be ready on day one when they get to college. This can help them understand how they can tackle most pressing challenges we are facing in our societies, and in the world today as they will be having necessary tools to address problems from experience.

good system this is.because u can move forward towards bravery and intelligency with practical aspects of life.

I agree with all of the above about traveling abroad prior to college. However, for the majority of graduating high school seniors, I'm not sure it is financially possible. If you can afford to enter the most prestigious universities in the country, then I suppose money has never been an issue anyway, but unfortunately it’s a primary concern for almost everyone at state schools. If there were a way to set up work abroad programs that would allow students to participate in a gap year despite their personal financial situation that would probably attract the state school crowd. Perhaps a national registry of work abroad programs for 17 and 18 year olds?

Without a doubt, it is crucial for students to find affordable options for their Gap Year. As a Co-Founders of Thinking Beyond Borders, I can tell you it has been on the fore-front of our thinking from the beginning. While our program is expensive, we are able to offer $105,000 of financial aid for each group of 16 students, the equivalent of three full scholarships. Additionally, we're working to build a network of individuals and organizations who believe in the mission of our organization and are willing to provide further scholarship resources.

Ultimately, there are many Gap Year opportunities available to US students. Some are less expensive than others, and the quality and design of programs varies. The first question to ask as a student, parent, or educator is what the intended outcome of the experience is. Is the year intended to build a specific skill set, give crucial learning opportunities and career experience, allow independence toward maturation, or simply be a break from the institutional school setting. The second question is what the particular student needs. Are they ready to be independent? If they are traveling, are they prepared to be safe and make good choices in their chosen destinations? Our program is designed for those with particular skills and direction toward becoming agents of change in the world. They are already mature and directed beyond many of their peers. Other programs exist to help students develop their maturity and find themselves. Some students are ready to head into the world by themselves and travel.

My point with all of this is that students and families interested in a Gap Year should determine what they need and then go out and find it. Some of the expensive programs may make the program available through scholarships. Other programs like Americorps and City Year may actually pay the student and provide education awards to help with college tuition. There are lots of options, and students should begin by determining which is best for them.

The cost of international programs can be staggering for a young person right out of high school- or for anyone, really. I work for a youth-led international development organization that recruits young people to serve as peer health educators for 5-12 months in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. There is always a ton of interest, but financial concerns seem to be the biggest deterrent. SPW (the org I work for- www.spw-usa.org) runs on a fundraising model- our volunteers raise a minimum donation to the organization in order to participate on the trip. They host events, solicit donations from local businesses, foundations, get scholarships from their schools or faith communities, and most do just fine and raise over and above the minimum. Donors' gifts are all tax deductible in the US, but it's a lot of work, and for those who live in less affluent communities, it may be even more difficult. And unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of grants available for non-study abroad work. It's something we've really struggled with as an organization. And I'm not really sure what the solution is... Thoughts?

This is an important point to consider, particularly for those seeking to offer Gap Year programs to students. Founders and administrators of programs should be working to make networks of supporters available to all of their students as a means of raising funds. Rather than the organization simply asking for donations from this network, the students are given access through planned events or giving campaigns facilitated by the organization. This personalization of the approach to funders often makes it a more powerful experience for the donors and more profitable for the students.

The other aspect of this is that students and families are already planning to make a significant investment in their college careers, sometimes upwards of $150,000. While it is logical to avoid adding costs to higher education, the argument can be made that investing in the right Gap Year experience for a student can make the rest of their higher ed career far more powerful and fruitful. As many of us who studied abroad during our junior or senior years of college know, we returned to college to find ourselves with a new-found sense of direction and focus. What would happen if students began their college careers with this direction and focus rather than spending two or three expensive and frustrating years simply searching for meaning in their higher ed experience. Finally, I should mention that as I've spoken to parents around the country in communities that are and are not affluent, many shared their fears that their own students would follow the path of an increasing number of their peers--returning from their freshman year of college with no desire to return because they lack a sense of purpose and feel their studies lack meaning.

I took a year off to travel after high school, but as someone mentioned, it was not in my family's budget to pay for it. So, I worked at our local grocery store full time and babysat on the side through January of the year following high school graduation. I then traveled around Europe and Israel for four months on my own, visiting people along the way. The travel experience was amazing. It gave me a confidence that I didn't see very much in my freshman class at college the next year. I had to budget my money and make it last the entire four months. I also had the freedom to do whatever I wanted and you know what?--When I wasn't doing something to get away with it, I found that I acted quite responsibly! Although I was not participating in a social change project while traveling, just being abroad was an extremely valuable experience. It's easy to feel like the United States (or wherever you happen to live) is the only place on Earth, so it's important to correct that narrow view.

I also think that the work experience I gained before traveling helped shape my more mature view of what it means to work full time and what it means to work hard in a job that doesn't pay much. While the rest of my friends from high school were sleeping in and going to frat parties on the weekends, I was getting up at 5:30 to open the grocery store and then taking care of kids when my shift was over.

I entered college determined to do well so that I wouldn't ever have to work that hard again. I felt too old to act the way many of my peers were acting in college (even though I had been a party girl in high school). As a direct result of taking that year off I studied as hard as possible and graduated in three years with a major and a minor and with a GPA of 4.0. That never would have happened if I had gone straight to college at 18 years old.

I think that taking a year off is a great option for almost anybody and it can be done without the financial help of wealthy parents :)

As was mentioned, many many students in the UK (even the two Princes) take a gap year and get involved in a plethora of worthwhile and fulfilling projects, although the majority just save up to go travelling out of thier own curiosity, for new experiences, sun and cheap alcohol. There has been broadranging criticism in the British media, the Guardian even went so far as to suggest that the voluntourism rush (apparently only 6% actually volunteer abroad) is the new form of middle class Colonialism, and furthermore that the hugely sucessful companies who arrange such trips are extorting young people and NGO's alike. Having said the vast majority of my friends took gap years and definately feel that they benefitted from the experience. Yet it seems that in a country such as the USA one could also have an equally tranformative cultural experience on home soil, for example working with immigrants, relgious groups or minority communities. A global outlook essentially stems from a self conciousness of ones place in a global system, from which, it is suggested, may flow a passion for social change. Whilst taking a gap year would provide American students with the opportunity to look back over thier shoulders to make comparisons based on thier observations. Firstly, young Americans should be instilled with a curiosity about the world outside US borders. Whilst in the USA I met many young people who had never left the country and yet were extremely interested in expanding thier global imagination by meeting people from abroad. In this sense an Arabic saying applies "If Mohammed cannot go to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed".

In my experience (ten years now, designing international programs for young Americans to get immersed and engage in service work in developing countries) the benefits of a "gap year" depend entirely upon the structure, care, and intention that goes into designing the experience.

A gap year can mean anything from taking a year to live at home, watch cable, and work a mindless minimum wage job to launching oneself well outside familiar comforts and mainstream US culture on a well structured, highly meaningful and challenging international experience. I've started two non-profits over the last decade, both of which were created to expand options for high school graduates to explore themselves and world cultures before signing on to another four years of classroom learning at university.

I have no doubt whatsoever that international experiential learning is an incredibly powerful--often transformative--opportunity that can plant powerful seeds of commitment when it comes to engaging in social justice and environmental work.

I know and have great respect for the folks launching Thinking Beyond Borders. TBB will be another welcome provider of global study and service programs helping us take bold steps to shed the American reputation for being a culture that has trouble perceiving our place and responsibility in the world community.

John Eastman Executive Director Global Learning Across Borders www.global-lab.org

This is an excellent idea. I've learned during various college courses that much of our social structure was obtained by studying the first civilizations, particularly in European and eastern countries. The benefit is what we enjoy today; persistently working to improve and maintain America. The younger generation(s) is sidetracked with pop-culture, which is contributing to their lack of focus on the big picture. Thus, to give a larger percentage of these young people entering into adulthood and the workforce, a better perception of what the world needs from its human inhabitants, can be instilled in them by implementing programs like Gap Year; this type of program will give them a better world view, a sense of purpose, and responsibility to society at large.

It seems to me that encouraging graduating seniors to take a year off of studying is a noble cause and necessary in a globalizing economy. Although "gap years" may not be fitting for everyone, interested students could benefit greatly from this. Speaking in terms of the United States, agencies such as Americorps and Peace Corps have the capability to expand and enhance their programs to cater to this specific demographic. Non-governmental organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Care also have a wide range of development work all over the world. Perhaps a government/NGO partnership could be developed to accommodate 1/2 year or full year service assignments for graduating seniors before entering college.

An important aspect of this idea is making it accessible to a wide variety of citizens of the United States of America. If the idea is to truly broaden the world view of mainstream America, it is imperative that students beyond upper middle class and wealthy families have access to these programs. As the Peace Corps and the Full Bright programs benefit all of society, we must agree that offering international service or "gap years" is also beneficial to our society. With that said, I think the call to institute "gap years" must be coupled with the call to make the accessible across the board.

The "Gap Year" is something I embrace fully. Redford made the idea for the mass market in his albeit rather dull but at times poignant film "the lion and the lamb." (or something like that) What concerns me isn't whether or not wealthy students attending ivy league universities gain a global conscience - what worries me is whether this will add another gap between the economically advantaged and the disadvantaged. Although Princeton might have the endowment to support financial aid options, most universities don't, and can't afford to allocate resource for something that leaves little tangible data behind in terms of student success and financial return. I have a hard time believing peace corps members make up any top percentile of giving at a university.

That said, I think non-profits need to get into the business of organizing gap year trips. Why? If these NGOs were able to finance the trips while offering some pre-college tutoring and organizational tools, the benefit for both the student and university would be exponential. The student would come ready to handle global challenges and have a "prep for prep" like time to hone skills they will certainly need in college. The universities will therefore be able to accelerate their own curricula and not fall under the increasing problem of declining standards found across the nation.

Helping students and universities get what they want without taking from the coffers of either is the only way to do this in my view

Personally I couldn’t agree more with Felicia and Joshua. There is no doubt that a well planned Gap Year positively contributes to the development of the youth, however, programs need to be made available for students representing the entire socioeconomic spectrum.

The long term solution is to create a cost sharing model between students, Gap Year programs, universities and private scholarships provided by companies. To do this, there will need to be tangible data that states students who complete Gap Year programs provide more to the college campus and also are more prepared to solve complex global problems for companies. Note that there have been articles written by the Harvard Admissions team and Goldman Sachs Foundation that have stated this argument without the measured data. If universities and companies believe this claim, they are more likely to financially support specific programs and specific students.

As someone involved in creating Gap Year programs, I believe that as a collection of organizations we need to run high quality programs that immerse students in real-world learning environments and teach students the problem solving skills that set them apart from their peers on college campuses and cubicle neighbors at companies.

For financial aid to come from universities and the private sector, the reputation of the Gap Year needs to be one of creating outstanding community and company leaders, and somehow that needs to be measured.

As one of the founders of Thinking Beyond Borders, I can say that this was a cornerstone principle when we began our organization. Robin mentioned earlier that we have $105,000 in financial aid available for our group of 16 students this year. As we continue to develop our reputation as an organization that not only educates youth about the current global environment, but teaches them how to translate their learning into action, we will also continue to be more successful in fundraising for scholarships.

This is a lively discussion, and I want to add a slightly different perspective, though aligned with the folks who bring up the very important conversation about just who will be able to afford the gap year.

My simple logic would be that it is disingenuous to send our young folks to the far reaches of the earth when we have so much work to do here. To do so fits squarely in the colonialistic, missionary framework that we are out to "save and civilize the world."

Going too far? For the vast majority of U.S. students who go abroad, are there lasting, sustainable programs left in the wake of their 3 or 6 month stay? And more frightening, when they return to their home communities, are they that much more inspired to work for change?

Neither have easy, yes or no answers, but I have seen too much of the idea that "I am going to be a savior and help poor African children to read", coupled by a mentality upon return that is either fixated on the "experience" from that faraway place, or even openly against serving at home since the community down the street "should be thankful - I saw real poverty in Africa."

Let's do the honest thing and own up to the injustices, the racism, the problems that we kick under the rug right here at home, in each of our states, counties, and communities. Until there are no persons living in poverty in the miles around your house, you don't need to be thousands of miles away. Let's fill the GAPS right here at home, even if it is less sexy than traveling the world as tourists under the guise of "social activism."

This post is from Sandy Pendoley, the co-founder of Thinking Beyond Borders:

I certainly agree with Anthony there is tremendous need for service here in the states. However, I come from the perspective that service abroad does inspire individuals to work for change locally as well as internationally. After two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, my next position was as a Team Leader for AmeriCorps*NCCC. My team and I worked with underprivileged children at a YMCA, aided in hurricane recovery efforts in the gulf coast, and built houses with Habitat for Humanity. Another Peace Corps Volunteer I was abroad with returned home and chose to use his background in finance to work for a city public school system in great need. In fact, most individuals with whom I served internationally continue to work towards change both in the states and abroad – often inspired by intense experiences abroad.

Are the programs left behind sustainable? I believe the key to this question lies in local partnerships. Will Gap Year students in just a few short weeks or months, and with little previous knowledge of a culture or community, be able to create something sustainable from nothing? The odds are stacked against them. But can they provide a valuable service to an existing group with already sustainable practices and projects? Absolutely. And perhaps more importantly, will living abroad and becoming intimately aware of another culture and community broaden their perspective? Will knowledge of global issues (faced both in the US and abroad) inspire students to become proactive agents of change?

I asked/invited both of my children, who are 29 and 32 now, to take a year between high school and college to do something else. My daughter went to the Netherlands as a Rotary Exchange student from July to July and delayed her acceptance to American University for one year. I think what she would say is that she was more mature and directed when she began college, and she had an unforgettable year in Rotary Exchange, became fluent in Dutch and lived with four families over the year's time. My son decided not to go abroad but joined an intergenerational group that rode bicycles from Disneyland to Disneyworld -- I think that it was 3800 miles in 48 days -- and each was to raise $7,000 for a charity of their choice. The ride was organized and supported with a sag wagon, etc. My son was the youngest rider, just having turned 18, but it was a phenomenal experience for him, doing public speaking prior to the ride to raise funds and persisting through 100 mile a day rides through the various terrain across the southern part of the country! He delayed college by one semester.

Both had very valuable experiences and wouldn't have traded them for anything! I think the experiences were invaluable in their growth and development.

I'm from Malaysia, and I've taken two gap years: one after high school, and one partway through my first stint at university when I realized I didn't particularly enjoy what I was doing.

My first gap year wasn't structured, but I did take the opportunity to relax and explore different interests - dance, travel, media, and so on. My second gap year gave me my passion for social change: I travelled with Up with People for a semester (I then worked for a few months before moving to Australia for uni) and the experience was mindblowing. I experienced different cultures first-hand, got to share my cultures with people who hadn't even heard of my countries (I was representing both Malaysia and Bangladesh, where my parents are from), and learnt so much about how different people work and live.

I absolutely loved both my gap years and feel that I gained more from them than from my university work! It is rather slanted towards US/UK people though. People from my region, the so-called third-worlders, would absolutely benefit from gap year programs as they can be rather isolated from different cultures and also because they get to be real-life examples of their cultures, breaking down stereotypes and preconceptions. However, as a few people mentioned before, expenses are the big issue. Even if we took time off to work (which isn't that easy to find compared to other places), the money earned would still not travel far enough to be able to afford programs like these. So the ones who end up going are usually from relatively richer families (well, like mine, but I'm a borderline case) who are quite worldly anyway, or those lucky enough to score scholarships and funding (which is rare, and a pain in the arse to source as many organizations/companies in the region are hesitant to fund anything that isn't mainstream).

There is also huge pressure to finish school, go straight to university, get a job, get a family - gap years are rather frowned upon. AFS and Raleigh have strong developments in Malaysia, and there are a couple of other programs (such as UWP) that have had Malaysian involvement. However, compared to other "first world" countries, or even places such as Singapore, the number of people involved in gap years are extremely low. There is a nationally-mandated "National Service" program that picks random schoolleavers and is in a way a mandatory "gap year", but that's not quite the same thing because if you get chosen, you have no choice but to go.

What I would like to see/help/develop are:

• Gap year programs that allow young people to work directly with communities locally/regionally/internationally - structured internships or work experience, for example. This would help grow the image of social enterprise towards youth and get them interested from an early age
• More programs that accommodate and support non-first-world people, ESPECIALLY with funding
• Support and respect for young people that choose to do gap years
• Something like a mini-KaosPilots (http://kaospilot.dk) where students can learn about and develop social enterprise programs in a year - it's educational, but not traditionally so

I run a blog, EducateDeviate (http://educatedeviate.wordpress.com) that touches on things like these, and I'm always looking for more opportunities to get more young people involved. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I think that we all agree that encouraging young people to dedicate a year (or some period of time) to serving others in need is usually a positive and enriching experience.

Accordingly, the question we should ask ourselves, is "how can these programs be most effective and productive for both student and stakeholders?"

The appeal of leaving familiar surroundings for an exotic location can be a double-edged sword. It offers an alternative to the "traditional" year-off activities (employment, vacationing) and thus encourages young people to explore their skills and whet their desire for social justice. On the other hand, we must reinforce that the purpose of these projects is not simply to add a resume line or conversation piece, but rather to use our skills where they are most efficiently applied.

Although I do not dispute that developing nations have urgent needs in terms of education, health care, and alleviation of poverty, arguably many of those same conditions exist not far from our own doorsteps. We must take the greatest care to ensure that volunteerism is seen not as a form of adventure-seeking, but rather a concerted effort to make a positive contribution to society at-large.

Imagine the irony of a young person who has traveled worldwide to combat hunger or homelessness, but is unable or unwilling to address the hungry or homeless in his/her community. Are we reinforcing the belief that it is easier to transcend cultural boundaries beyond our borders? I believe that a great deal can be learned in service to those around us, where despite our social standing or customs we ultimately discover that we have much in common.

Domestic service tends to remind us that we are not patrons extending charity to a helpless people, but rather partners working together for mutual benefit and enrichment. It is also democratic, in that the financial and logistical barriers of travel do not prevent worthy students from participating. Most importantly, it allows student and stakeholder to develop a long-lasting relationship beyond the limits of a summer abroad.

I am so thrilled to hear about more U.S. universities championing world travel either before or during studies. In my experience, many more American students could benefit from the perspective gained while traveling abroad.

I create a "gap summer" experience for myself including 3 months of solo backpacking in South America 1 year after I graduated college (this opportunity presented itself to me after a corporate lay-off in 2001). It was truly perfect for me and my life and I created significant shift in my professional focus as a result of my travels and experience.

While traveling, I met many young people from other parts of the world who were traveling before/after military service or schooling - and it was very "popular" for them to do so. They remarked that they didn't meet many Americans doing the same. Many times, I'd be the only American in a tour group or was told at a hostel "you're the only American who has ever stayed here!"

I see huge possibilities for the U.S.' international relations in having more students participate in a "gap year".