School is officially a closed chapter now. Perhaps you feel a sense of longing for the predictable nature of it, for the support and structure that you received. Or are you ready to move on to pastures new? As a young adult the possibilities are endless; maybe it is work experience you want, or to travel, volunteer, learn a new skill or sport that you’re interested in.
You will most likely never have an opportunity like this again, when the world is your oyster and you have little responsibility to hold you back. Taking a break and experiencing new territory should be an exciting, rewarding and fulfilling milestone in life.
Plan well and think about what YOU want to achieve by the end of it! I didn’t take a gap year, but one of my good friends, Katy, did. She says that an effective gap year combines a mixture of work, volunteering and travelling.
Travel normally ranks high on the list of what gap year students wish to do and South East Asia or South America are among the favourite destinations. But for some, like Katy, discovering the world from a different perspective is more appealing.
Her first major trip was to Fiji, with a charity called Think Pacific, which runs programmes on the islands in conjunction with the Fijian government, focusing on helping the local community, promoting healthy lifestyle habits, improving mental health and teaching sports to children.
She spent 2 months in Fiji living with a family, immersed fully in the local culture, and collaborating with a local youth group to address problems in the community. In addition to this, they also ran sports and educational programmes for children. There’s something special about being very far away from home and doing something you will never forget.
On a separate adventure during her gap year, Katy spent forty days at sea on the boat, Tenacious, traveling with the Jubilee Sailing Trust: a charity that sets out to change lives through exploration on their ships. The Trust helps those with disabilities, those with long-term health issues or people with mental health problems. Their trips are specifically planned to be accessible to all.
Tenacious is the only tall ship in the world designed to be sailed by a mixed ability crew. Katy sailed from Antigua to England with fifty people on board, from all walks of life. Out of her comfort zone for much of the time, Katy put in a great deal of teamwork and conquered some of her fears – such as climbing to the top of a very tall mast for instance.
Travelling across the ocean, she faced other challenges too, like being in the middle of what seemed like an endless expanse of water, where she couldn’t see land for days. On the other hand, she experienced the most amazing sunrises and sunsets, whales and dolphins frolicking in the water; she saw the world from a different perspective, both mentally and literally.
Together with her Fijian experience, Katy made the most of her travels, not only seeing the world and learning about different cultures, but also coming away with the very rewarding feeling that she had made a difference to people’s lives by giving her time to volunteer.
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