Students who choose the Service/Gap Year Pathway must submit an acceptance letter as evidence of their plan to meet the Learn.Plan.Succeed. graduation requirement.
During a Service/Gap Year, students take time away from formal education to engage in planned activities that can help them decide what they want to do with their future. While students must define a plan for their Service/Gap Year to meet the Learn.Plan.Succeed. requirement, they can allow flexibility in their plan to pursue new areas of interest that may arise.
Types of Service/Gap Year Activities
Service/Gap Year activities vary widely, depending on the student's interests, what he or she wants to accomplish, and other factors. Primary types of Service/Gap Year activities include:
- Volunteer/Service: Experiences that help students understand interdependence and allow them to give back
- Career Exploration/Internship: Real-world work experiences that help students decide on a future course of study or career
- Social Change: Experiences that enable students to participate in efforts to improve communities
Don’t think of a Service/Gap Year as a “break.” Consider how taking a Service/Gap Year will support your efforts to prepare for and to inform the next steps in your life journey. Among the many benefits of taking a Service/Gap Year are becoming a more well-rounded individual and finding purpose. Experts argue that your purpose, calling, dream job, point of happiness, pathway, or reason for being can be found where these four elements meet: (1) what you’re good at, (2) what you love, (3) what the world needs, and (4) that for which someone will pay you.
Related Links
Resources to help students pursue the Service/Gap Year Pathway.
- Gap Year Checklist
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Search for gap year programs abroad.
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The Gap Year Association's comprehensive planning checklist.
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Accredited, unaccredited, and in-progress member listing of the Gap Year Association.
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More than 100 gap year program providers attend fairs across the country. Check the schedule to learn when the fair will visit Illinois.
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The Gap Year Association provides information and resources to obtain financial aid during a gap year.
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This resource provides students who are planning an independent gap year with thousands of community service opportunities in the United States.
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City Year helps to close gaps in high-need schools by supporting students' academic and social-emotional development. Explore opportunities to serve specifically in cities through AmeriCorps.
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This partnership with AmeriCorps offers leadership development opportunities for young people interested in advancing social justice and equity through collaborative action.
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A database of service years available through a variety of nonprofits and public organizations. From urban to rural communities, service year opportunities are available in a wide array of issue areas, including: education, the environment, disaster relief, health care, and many more.
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Search Illinois AmeriCorps State Programs.
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Peace Corp offers two-year service opportunities in countries around the world. Program participants work side by side with local leaders to promote world peace and solve the most urgent challenges that their host countries face.
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WWOOF provides service opportunities in organic farming and gardening around the world. WWOOFers or program volunteers work on a host farm, learn about the organic movement and sustainable agriculture practices, and gain practical organic farming and gardening skills.
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Search the network of Employers of National Service, which connects AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni with employers from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
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Conduct comprehensive college and career planning using this online platform, for students in grades 6-12.