We’re looking for volunteers. Our goal is to reach every community and every school in the country to spread the word about the benefits of taking a Gap Year. We’re going to need people, young and old, to talk to guidance counselors, principals, teachers, parent groups, and students.

Our plan is to set up LGG after-school clubs for high school students to discuss doing a Gap Year and to learn about the challenges as well as the joys of cross-cultural connecting. LGG will help with discussion materials and will help find Gapper alumni to talk about their adventures. We will need volunteers with some experience to facilitate the clubs.

We also need volunteers for our Plan for Pilot Schools. Read more…

••••••“A young aspiring nomad [working] in healthcare – I want to
••••••inspire young Americans to get out there and travel — [I’m] ready
••••••to jump on board and help.”- Melissa A.

••••••“I am encouraging my eldest daughter to experience as much
••••••of the world as she can before “real life” and obligations set it.”
••••••– Marcy A

••••••“I spent a year in the Philippines after college. I believe that
••••••living abroad teaches us so much, beginning with appreciation
••••••and gratitude, followed by adversity which is where the real
••••••learning starts.” – Jenna B.

••••••“After following Rita’s blog, I responded to her call to gather
••••••the Gapper letters she received for LGG. It was inspiring to see
••••••how gap experiences were changing students’ lives by giving
••••••them a strong sense of self and an awareness of their global
••••••responsibility. World peace will have to come from our youth;
••••••LGG is the grass roots movement to help them along, and I am
••••••honored to be a part of it.” – Shirl M.

Bringing a Gap Year mentality to the U.S. is a huge undertaking. While we work at the macro level to reach as wide a population as we can, we will also be working on a micro level, focusing on just a few schools where we can gather statistics that will be useful when we apply for organizational funding.

LGG needs to know how many students are interested, how many parents are willing to help, and how many actually follow through and do a Gap Year. And we want to stay connected to these pilot schools and students over the long haul; what happens to the students when they return home and how does the Gap Year experience affect their lives?

We will choose schools or perhaps school districts where the administration is enthusiastic and will help us by encouraging the school community to promote the Gap Year idea and by allowing us to gather testimonials from the students who participate. We want to popularize the Gap Year experience across all segments of the population so we need that same cross-section representation in the pilot schools we choose.

You know your communities. We’re building a team and we need your experience as our local representative. We invite you to get in on the ground floor of something exciting. We welcome students, parents, grandparents, community leaders and teachers. The number one requirement is your enthusiasm and belief that this will make a difference in the world.

Send us an email if you think you know of a school or school district that would welcome us. If you would like to be our representative in your area, let us know….we need and want you. A lot of people working together is how a Gap Year becomes a cultural norm in the U.S.; we will not only help build a responsible and globally educated population, we will have changed the country and the world!

We can’t wait to hear from you! Welcome!