A Message from Rita Golden Gelman, Proud Supporter of Gap Years and a Board Member of the American Gap Association

The world is calling you.
Once you have touched it, your heart will open, your senses will expand, and you’ll discover what it means to share your humanity. And if you stay a while, you’ll also discover strengths and talents you never knew you had.

Imagine tracking a mother and baby orangutan in the rain forest of Borneo with a young Dayak tribesman. Or teaching English to a roomful of children in China or Chile. Or perhaps you are feasting on paella in a home in Barcelona when suddenly you realize you are speaking Spanish. The scenarios are endless; the experiences, life changing.

After thirteen years in classrooms, it’s time to extend your education across borders. The easiest time to take a break is right after high school. To help you, we’ve created this central online clearing house with all the information you need to learn about Gap Years and to start planning a trip. We even have a page for your parents.

I promise: taking a Gap Year will be one of the most important decisions of your life… and the best possible preparation for college, a job, vocational school… your future. You’ll return home confident, secure in who you are, and focused. The colleges know this too; more and more are encouraging their incoming students to take a year off before starting their freshman year. Apply to college while you’re in high school, then defer and Get Global with a Gap Year.

Happy journey.

With love,
Rita

Author, Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World,
and more than seventy children’s books.

In proud partnership with the American Gap Association