college

Understanding New Cultures with Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad Volunteer

Image source: Projects-abroad.org

The famous “gap year” volunteer—the student who wants to experience the world either before or during college—is a relatively new concept. The benefits of the gap year for young people are enormous. Many of them simply need time to grow. They need life experience and are excited for something challenging and bold, something different, beyond the scope of the familiar. Back in the early 1990s there weren’t a lot of formal opportunities for students wanting to further their experience and education overseas. Dr. Peter Slowe, a geography professor with some adventurous students, took it upon himself to find an international placement for them. Back then, there wasn’t an Internet full of volunteer organizations vying for volunteers. There weren’t thousands of great, sustainable volunteering non-profits out there for the average student. Instead, Slowe set up his students with some academics he knew in Romania. They took off to teach English and Projects Abroad was born.

The Gap Year: A Unique Opportunity for Long-Term Volunteering

A Recent High School Graduate Working in Ghana for Her Gap Year

Image source: Safari-guide.co.uk

When I was in college, I didn’t appreciate the harsh reality of a 9-5 job. When you’re young you see the world as full of possibility, and it is. But as you get older, take a job and start a family, those possibilities narrow. Employers expect a lot. American workers have the least paid vacation time of all wealthy industrial nations. For most of us, unless we quit our jobs, leaving our lives for a year is not a possibility. But for college-age adults, taking a year off before or during college is a much more realistic option.