Gap Year Association

Look at these superstars! Our summer #EXPERIENTIALCHALLENGE campaign is raising funds for the Gap Year Association, including our new gap year #scholarship, and ends in just a few weeks! Here are our inspiring 2024 participants and their growth challenges: Jason Sarouhan: 50 Mile Hut-to-Hut Traverse in the White Mountains Sandy Storer (she/her): Daily meditation challenge for 31 days straight Ryan Patrick Allen: Planting 500 native trees in 24 hours Julia Rogers: Skydiving for the first time Andrew Bryan: 16 Miles of open water swimming Emily Rosser: Biking the Oregon Coast Ethan Knight: 5 minute comedy routine at an open mic night Erica Vaughn: Community service project - a new one each week! Austin Rogers: Flying trapeze in the Costa Rican jungle Keri McWilliams: Hiking a peak a week in the mountains of Montana If you haven't donated yet, now is the time! Every donation, no matter the amount, helps grow the gap year movement. Your generosity can make a real impact in fostering the next generation of leaders. Check out our campaign at https://lnkd.in/gSHNGuZv and choose a challenge to support this summer! 🌟 Thank you to our amazing community of participants and supports - we couldn't do it without you!

Welcome to GYA, Impact Gap Year! Impact Gap Year (part of Impact Travel Group) offers journeys with providers in 12 different destinations. Programs are designed to focus on skill building, cultural immersion, and fostering a deep sense of empathy and personal growth. By engaging in hands-on projects, living in diverse communities, and embracing new challenges, participants develop essential life skills, broaden their worldviews, and grow into compassionate, well-rounded individuals. Learn more about Impact Gap Year programs focused on Conservation, Community Development, Adventure, and Social & Cultural Entrepreneurship at www.impactgapyear.com #gapyear #gapyearlife #gapyearprogram #gapper #explorethegapyear #gapyearadventure #gapyeartravel #experientialeducation #experientiallearning #explore #exploremore

With our 2024 #ExperientialChallenge campaign underway, we've been talking a lot about "leaving the comfort zone." But what does this actually mean? It's a rote phrase that can have many interpretations, so we've tried to break down some of our thoughts around the concept. Visit the GYA Blog for our latest post on the distinction between "uncomfortable" and "unsafe," and why we think it's valuable for all people to embrace the practice of entering the "challenge zone." https://lnkd.in/ghQnsWKA

Thanks for challenging yourself to reach ✨ new heights ✨ while supporting GYA, Austin Rogers! We appreciate your support of the gap year movement and the amazing work you do for students at Rooted Life Adventures. Show your support for Austin's flying trapeze challenge at https://lnkd.in/ghinyGgi

Meet Erica Vaughn: Gap Year Consultant, founder of The Intentional Gap, and community-minded advocate of experiential learning. Erica is participating in GYA's #ExperientialChallenge by committing to weekly projects in service of her home community this summer. We have been inspired by all of the #growthmindset challenges that exemplify the many ways we can pursue growth and learning without extensive travel. It can be a real challenge to intentionally shift your perspective and choose to see something familiar through a new lens—it can often be even more challenging than visiting a new place, since it requires an extra layer of internal refocusing. Thank you for your commitment to service, Erica! We're inspired by you finding new ways to invest in home and community. Support Erica's challenge at https://lnkd.in/gShFMkbX #gapyear #explorethegapyear #gapyearchallenge #experientialeducation #experientiallearning

We are rooting for the amazing Emily Rosser, Gap Director for ARCC Programs (Adventures Cross Country), as she embodies the spirit of gap adventure with her own coastal #biketour this summer! For her GYA #ExperientialChallenge, Emily will be tackling a new biking goal with her new road bike. She will be taking something she knows and loves to new heights as she rides along the breathtaking coastal highway stretching from the Columbia River to the California border. We're looking forward to updates as Emily pushes her limits across this stunning landscape. Good luck, Emily--and watch out for those logging trucks! Support Emily's #growthmindset challenge and read more about GYA's Experiential Challenge Campaign at https://lnkd.in/grV843th #gapyear #explorethegapyear #gapyearchallenge #experientialeducation #experientiallearning

Meet Sandy Storer (she/her): former Gap Year Consultant, Chair of GYA's Membership Committee, and Vice President of our Board of Directors! We are cheering for Sandy's upcoming #experientialchallenge, a month-long self-care commitment during which she'll challenge herself to limit screen time and follow a guided meditation series from the book Breath by Breath, by Larry Rosenberg. In today's fast-paced world, many people can relate to having a racing mind that is not easily quieted. In an era characterized by forward movement, instant gratification, short attention spans, and high-speed everything, slowing down and accepting the present moment is one of the most challenging things we can try. Those who know Sandy know that she is an extremely passionate and motivated individual, and we are thrilled to see her pursuing her curiosity about mindfulness and meditation. She hopes that this journey will result in improved sleep, clarity, and overall productivity and groundedness. Keep an eye out for Sandy's reflections as she takes on this #growthmindset challenge! Support Sandy's challenge and learn more about GYA's Experiential Challenge Campaign at https://lnkd.in/eVRgw-_M #gapyear #explorethegapyear #gapyearchallenge #experientialeducation #experientiallearning

We are PUMPED that Ethan Knight—GYA's founder and first Executive Director, founder and ED of Carpe Diem Education, and all-around inspiring human being—will be taking on an individual growth challenge for our 2024 #ExperientialChallenge campaign. We can't think of a better person to tackle what may be the most frightening of all the challenges in this campaign: a STANDUP COMEDY ROUTINE 👏 👏 👏 Embracing the vulnerability of placing oneself in front of a live audience to try something new may be one of the greatest comfort zone stretches we can think of...and we are absolutely delighted that Ethan will be pursuing this goal. We are also not surprised, as Ethan continues to be an exceptional advocate for experiential education and chooses to embody the spirit of gap year growth and learning in everything he does. Thank you to Ethan for taking on this #growthmindset challenge to support GYA, and for always making moves to uplift the gap year movement. Stay tuned for updates on this particular challenge, as we hope to provide details about a livestream of the actual event... Learn more about the campaign and support Ethan's challenge at https://lnkd.in/gHknaBfv #gapyear #explorethegapyear #gapyearchallenge #experientialeducation #experientiallearning #lifelonglearning

Introducing the first challenge of our 2024 #experientialchallenge campaign: GYA's Executive Director, Keri McWilliams, has committed to hiking "a peak a week" for the duration of the 10-week campaign. In Keri's home region of Western Montana, people are accustomed to 360-degree mountain views and easy trail access. However, many people can also relate to the feeling of having a busy life—work to do, homes to clean, errands to run—that makes it easy to postpone things like taking advantage of local trails, even when they're in your backyard! Keri has committed to carving out intentional time every week for a different mountain peak—some of which are nearby, but she hasn't visited yet. A huge thank you to Keri for this reminder that we often don't have to travel far (even for gap year experiences 😉 ) to find fulfilling ways of pursuing self-care and seeing our home communities from a different perspective. It can be challenging to change up your weekly routine, especially when it feels like there are so many day-to-day things that need to get done. 👉 What's something in your hometown you've always wanted to do, but haven't made time for yet ❓ Visit https://lnkd.in/gf7YkX6Q to support Keri's challenge and learn more about the other #growthmindset challenges that participants will be pursuing! #gapyear #explorethegapyear #gapyearchallenge #experientialeducation #experientiallearning #lifelonglearning

Congratulations to Kroka Expeditions for becoming GYA's newest Accredited Gap Year Program Provider! Grounded on 120 beautiful acres of forest, wetland, and farmland in Marlow, NH, the Kroka Village has grown over the years to become an intentional community of residential staff, a biodynamic farm, and a basecamp that supports the magic of learning and growth to happen. As a nonprofit wilderness expedition school and organic farm, Kroka Expeditions fosters a living relationship with the natural world and the development of skilled, compassionate, and community-minded young people. Through unique wilderness programs centered around the cultivation of consciousness and altruistic will, Kroka provides students with experiences that cultivate humility, compassion, elation, a sense of reverence for the natural world, and a deep feeling of belonging. GYA's accreditation seal signifies that a program has gone through a rigorous process of demonstrating that they meet the highest standards of best practice in gap year education. We're thrilled to welcome Kroka to GYA's list of exceptional accredited gap year programs. Learn more at kroka.org! #gapyear #gapyearprogram #gapyearstudent #gapper #explorethegapyear #gapyearadventure #experientialeducation #experientiallearning #explore #exploremore