LIFESTYLE GAP YEAR TRAVEL
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Many companies have reassuring safety policies;
“What young people
TrekAmerica has developed its own ‘Parents Charter’ to
reassure parents who are concerned about their children do in their gap matters.
getting lost or sick or lose touch altogether. “We never send AVs
Gaps are time on,
anywhere we wouldn’t send our own children,” says Smith of
Africa & Asia Venture. “We are not there to nanny them but
not time off ” – John
we do have representatives in each country who are on hand for
advice or TLC. They want independence with a safety net.”
Vessey, Gap Enterprise
This view is shared by Richard Oliver, chief executive
of the Year Out Group, a not-for-profi t association of 37
gap organisations that promotes the concept and benefi ts of
well-structured year out programmes. “I advise parents to
take a discreet interest in their child’s gap year, but not get
too involved in the planning,” he says. “Make sure they have
adequate travel insurance, for example. But when they are
travelling don’t keep calling them – agree that they will contact
you say, once a week to stay in touch and
every time they arrive in a new country.”
Another common concern amongst
parents is ensuring that a gap year is “well
spent”, doing something worthwhile and not
just lounging on a beach. Princes William
and Harry upped the ante a few years ago
when they spent part of their gap years as
volunteers (William went to Chile with
Raleigh International and Harry helped
build a clinic and road bridge in Lesotho). a local community gives a greater insight into the place they
“What young people do in their gap year visit than just visiting it as a tourist. The Leap organises
matters,” says John Vessey, director of Gap volunteering in eco-tourism, community and conservation
Enterprise, a company which provides an projects in Kenya, Tanzania and parts of Asia. Students help
independent, bespoke service, advising parents to rehabilitate endangered species, build freshwater systems for
and students how to plan a gap year and avoid remote villages, or teach English to local kids. “It was really
the pitfalls. “It matters in terms of the skills and satisfying working on different projects to see how the local
experience to enrich them, and in terms of people were benefi ting from our efforts,” says Jack Nottage,
how admissions tutors and future employers who spent six weeks volunteering with The Leap at a Kenyan
will rate what they plan and achieve. Gaps elephant sanctuary in September last year.
are time on, not time off.” When browsing these schemes it’s vital to make sure that
Many gappers fi nd that working within they are credible. In 2007, Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO)
MORE GAP YEAR COMPANIES AND WHAT THEY DO:
Azafady is a registered CESA Languages With Gap Year Diver are Gapforce is a gap year Greenforce helps to
UK charity which has 30 years’ experience, specialists in scuba diving provider with over 20 organise conservation,
worked in Madagascar CESA off ers courses for programmes. Learn to years of experience. community, wildlife
for 15 years. They off er A level and Gap Year dive, train to be a SCUBA The wide range of and teaching
a choice of award- students – from a week instructor or get involved global expeditions and programmes overseas.
winning volunteering to a year – that are fun, with marine conservation adventures includes Teach English to the
programmes perfect for sociable and get results. programmes. Trips are remote conservation Maasai, learn Spanish
anyone wishing to get French, Spanish, Italian suitable for all levels projects, teaching and in the Andes, track
involved in community- etc, for beginners/ (including beginners) medical placements, wildlife, learn to dive
based conservation and advanced are taught in and operate in ten diving working holidays, sport and protect the
development projects for quality language schools. destinations around the coaching, ski instructor undersea world in Fiji
2-10 weeks. Tel:01209 211800 info@ world. and leadership training. and the Bahamas.
Tel: 020 8960 6629 cesalanguages.com Tel: 0845 257 3292 Tel: 020 7384 3343 Tel: 020 7384 3343
info@azafady.org www. www.cesa info@gapyeardiver.com info@gapforce.org www. info@greenforce.org
madagascar.co.uk languages.com www.gapyeardiver.com gapforce.org www.greenforce.org
76 FIRST ELEVEN SPRING 2010 WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
pp75-77FE_SPR10 Gap FINAL.indd 76 29/1/10 12:16:15
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