Gap Year Radio

We are thrilled to have Sarah Bryden of the Elemental Self on this episode to discuss sexual education, emerging sexuality and healthy relationships to self and others with emerging adults and gap year students in mind. For gap year students themselves, we will discuss how to frame your sexual health in the context of you gap year experience; Sarah will share some wisdom about how to frame sexuali...

Today on the pod we have Dave Dennis joining us from Cornerstone Safety Group. Dave is co-founder and Executive Director of Cornerstone Safety Group, a risk management services company supporting travel and experiential education organizations. With a master’s degree in risk management and 27 years of experience in domestic and international operations, Dave has been the Vice President of Risk Man...

Today on the pod we have Dave Dennis joining us from Cornerstone Safety Group. Dave is co-founder and Executive Director of Cornerstone Safety Group, a risk management services company supporting travel and experiential education organizations. With a master’s degree in risk management and 27 years of experience in domestic and international operations, Dave has been the Vice President of Risk Man...

Happy Earth Month and Welcome to Season Eight of Gap Year Radio! As we navigate the era of climate change, it's become increasingly crucial for us to consider the impact of our travel on the environment. With this in mind, let's delve into the world of sustainable travel and explore why it matters now more than ever before. Our guests Daniel Ponce-Taylor and Arantxa López Martínez are both world t...

We're back! Julia and Margo are feeling rejuvenated after their gap year from the pod and are excited to bring you new and exciting content this upcoming season. Tune in here for a preview of all the guests, themes, and ideas that you can look forward to this season, as well as a recap of all that your cohosts have been up to for the last year! Intro/Outro Music: Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod; lic...

Today on the pod, your co-hosts Julia and Margo come together to get excited for Gap Year Exploration Month (which begins today)! We discuss the various opportunities this month to #explorethegapyear, and how you can remain engaged through this exciting month of opportunities. Additionally we delve into the somewhat daunting task of funding your gap year. We provide you with various ideas and tool...

This episode features Sam Ballard, an alum of Dynamy Internship Year's class of 2021. Sam spent both his fall and spring semesters of his gap year with Dynamy, a domestic gap year program based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Sam was able to participate in two very different internship opportunities in Worcester during his year, with his fall semester being at an automotive shop and his spring semest...

Today on the pod we have Kevin Fagan joining us, a gap year alum who participated in Where There Be Dragons' Andes and Amazon semester for his fall term, and then spent the second half of his gap year solo backpacking through Europe. Kevin shares with us some highlights from his semester in South America with Dragons and some of his biggest takeaways from this experience, as well as how that semes...

In 2019, Luke participated in the Tufts 1+4 Bridge Year program with Amigos de las Américas in Cuenca, Ecuador. He lived with a host family and worked at Fundación Crea tu Espacio, a non-profit that aids migrants during their transitory periods. Some of his responsibilities included working at daycare centers for toddlers, organizing fundraisers, facilitating workshops, and assisting with a commun...

Listen to our conversation with Jenae Edwards, who tells us all about how she filled an unexpected covid gap year with meaning. ⁠ ⁠ Jenae used her gap time to create art and delve deeper into my love of art, while picking up a new skill of skateboarding and learning a lot from the community on her island. She says her perspective of home has completely changed as a result of spending her gap time...

Episode 702 brings you our conversation with Aliza Saunders, a 18/19 alum of Tinvu: Building Justice. Tivnu is a nine-month gap year program focused on social justice engagement. ⁠ ⁠ Participants create a community living together, discovering the Pacific Northwest, and exploring the bond between Jewish life and social justice while working with Portland’s cutting-edge grassroots organizations.⁠ Y...

We open our newest season with covid gapper Dan Schmidt who has a super interesting gap year story. As a creative, Dan expanded his professional skill set by spending a large chunk of his year as a videographer for the Adventures with Purpose YouTube channel. He helped bring the channel from 250,000 subscribers to over 1 million, all while traveling the country, learning to pilot drones and solvin...

Today on the pod we are excited to have Ethan Knight, founding director of the Gap Year Association. Julia and Margo take some time to talk to Ethan about the history of the Gap Year Association (GYA), his personal path that brought him here, the meaning of life, climate based gap years, and the current state of the field after a challenging pandemic year.  You can find Ethan and his colleagues at...

Today on the pod we have Vanesia Dedmon joining us to share about her semester with Carpe Mundi in Spring of 2019 in Spain and Morocco. She shares with us some of her biggest takeaways from her time abroad, as well as a few highlight memories from homestays and trekking in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, to a week on foot on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, to name a few.

Maytal Agasi took a gap year because she wanted to break out of the classroom and have an adventure in the real world. And boy, did she! Maytal spent her gap year working on a sustainable farm in Israel with Eco-Israel, traveling and participating in service-learning projects in East Africa with Carpe Diem Education and working closer to home as well. Maytal tells us that her gap time away from fo...

Today on the pod we have Alison Sever, Program Director of Rising Earth Immersion at the Eco-Institute at Pickards Mountain, as well as Kaylah Brathwaite, Fall 2020 alum of the Rising Earth Immersion Program. This program is a holistic environmental leadership program that focuses on social justice, spirituality, and mindfulness. Alison and Kaylah tell us more about the philosophy and curriculum b...

In this episode, you are going to hear from two exceptional Americorps NCCC members, Emma and Amelie. Emma and Amelie are currently in the middle of their service year and tell us all about the projects they have completed and a few that are still in front of them. Something similar across all NCCC experiences is the diversity of projects Corps members participate in - from disaster relief to trai...

In this episode, we continue to #explorethegapyear this Gap Year Exploration Month by learning about the diversity of gap year opportunities in Israel. Beyond the religious and cultural significance of the country, travel to Israel offers the opportunity to delve into its natural beauty, foodie culture, tech-startup excitement, archeological landmarks, and plenty of adventure. First we speak with...

We kick off Season Six (when did that happen?!) with an overview of Gap Year Exploration Month with youtuber Beatrice Naujalyte of the Bliss Bean. Beatrice will walk us through all the exciting ways to #explorethegapyear in February! Gap Year Exploration Month, or GYEM (pronounced “gem”), is a time to share information, recognize, support, and celebrate those who are considering or have taken a ga...

Margo and Julia close out Season Five of Gap Year Radio by looking behind and looking ahead. We talk to international educational consultant Kempie Blythe about the results of the 2020 Gap Year Alumni Survey, a massive nation-wide survey conducted by the Gap Year Association. Kempie gives us a highlight reel of survey results that showcase the benefits and outcomes of the gap year option. Afterwar...

Joining us on the pod today is Tyler Newman, a current gapper and founder of a gap year program called Year of Mastery, which is an opportunity for students to unlock their fullest potential through 12 months of passion exploration. She tells us more about her accessible, student led peer support model that gives students the platform they need to succeed in their gap year. She also discusses her...

Today on the pod we are excited to host Jane and Jason Sarouhan, long time gap year counselors and co-founders of J2Guides. Many students this year have opted for the cross country road trip as a part of their gap year, and Jane and Jason have begun their own van life adventure this year with their daughter. They share with the listeners the fun adventures of life on the road, as well as what stud...

"It all started with a conversation." That's how Justice in June co-founder Bryanna Wallace describes the genesis of the massively successful Justice in June resource. The conversation was a heart-to-heart with her best friend from college Autumn Gupta after the murder of George Floyd earlier this year. After this conversation, Autumn leapt into action to create a resource to help people become be...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a covid gap year student? Are you curious what you'd do on a virtual gap year program? Today we hear from current gap year student Anushka Goel, who is participating in Global Citizen Academy. Global Citizen Academy is the virtual offering from Global Citizen Year, an organization that aims to build the next generation of global leaders. Anushka tells us...

Joining us today on the pod is Caleb Kyle, who spent last year on a gap year adventuring in the outdoors through New Zealand and Costa Rica. He discusses with us the two programs he participated in, and explains the experience one can have with Outward Bound in Costa Rica. He received numerous useful certifications during the program, and also shares with us the struggles they faced when the pande...