Anniversary Reflections
Happy birthday to me! It is exciting to celebrate the one-year anniversary of starting my gap year consulting business, The Intentional Gap. Reflecting on this past year, here are my top 5 take-aways:
1.) There are as many variations and definitions of a gap year as there are people in the world. Anyone who has ever talked to me for more than two minutes about gap years has heard me say, “Every day I find out about a different gap year opportunity. No! I’M SERIOUS! EVERY DAY!” Most folks are polite when I say this. They smile and nod, and it’s all I can do to not grab their shoulders and shake them and say, “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?!?!!? THERE ARE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES!!!!” Interested in marine conservation? Lots of gap years for that. Want to go teach English in a foreign country? Lots and LOTS of gap years for that. Interested in coaching youth sports? Plenty of gap years for that. Curious about hiking the PCT or the Appalachian Trail? It’s like these treks were created for gappers! Want to do a homestay and learn another language? You guessed it: we’ve got gap years for that. Want to go to remote corners of the world and build skate parks? THERE ARE GAP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT!!! See?
2.) Integrity matters. Now, in all honesty, I didn’t just figure this out this past year. This is something I already knew, and deeply subscribe to, but I didn’t understand what it meant in relation to gap years. Taking the time to learn about and familiarize myself with the Fair Trade Learning Agreement developed by the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative helped me recognize and identify those programs and organizations that prioritize reciprocity and community-led initiatives. In my vetting of different opportunities, I am sure to ask the probing questions. I would say that 95% of the organizations that I speak with I feel completely comfortable recommending , and I am confident that they are operating guided by the principals of Fair Trade Learning. The ones that do not meet the criteria are simply programs that I do not recommend.
3.) Not every opportunity is great for every person. If during my conversations with the folks that I am working with, I discover that they don’t like backpacking and aren’t crazy about roughing it, then I am not going to suggest that they do an intensive outdoor program where they will obtain their wilderness first aid certificate. That is not the right program for that person! A little bit of discomfort is expected on gap years: you’re experiencing new things, with new people, often in new places. Discomfort can lead to immense growth; extreme unhappiness and distress, not so much.
4.) It is possible for me to make too many recommendations. I love what I do! What can I say? I become emotionally involved with the students I work with, and with the outcome of their gap experiences. I just get really excited when I think about the possibilities available to them. The options can be overwhelming, and it’s important for me, in most cases, to narrow the focus.
5.) This work restores my faith in humanity every single day. I figured that this work would make me feel better about people rather than worse, but I didn’t fully understand just how much. Working with people on the cusp of incredible changes in their lives brings me an immense amount of joy. Their enthusiasm and earnest curiosity and desire to learn makes me believe that as a society, we are in good hands. There is nothing better than watching these amazing humans I get to work with make life-long connections with groups and individuals.
