About Impact Gap Year

A gap year is a period of time taken by recent high school or college graduates to volunteer, work, and embark on a self-discovery trip before starting a career or furthering their education. It is also used as a year-long sabbatical between jobs or schooling. People of all ages are becoming more open to the concept of taking time off to help others, as the traditional university-to-job path becomes less and less necessary for living an enriching and prosperous life.

Impact Gap Year sends participants to various countries across the globe to volunteer, teach, educate, and help underrepresented and marginalized groups. Each of our programs is separated into four categories: Conservation, Community, Education, and Business, with each project providing opportunities to develop a diverse set of skills and contribute to the region in a variety of ways.

Helping local NGOs, creating intercultural contacts with people who share your interests, and learning a new language are just a few of the numerous ways a gap year may benefit your life. Boosting your résumé and making lifelong friendships will generate even more opportunities, which will not only help you find a fulfilling profession but will also build a more tolerant attitude toward life and the people in it. Many of those who take gap years go on to work in social work, conservation, and nonprofit organizations.

Gap years are exciting. Traveling the world, experiencing the bustling nightlife of world-class destinations, and creating lasting friendships with other young people will all be part of your time abroad. We’re not saying it won’t happen; after all, fun can be had anywhere in the world, and we encourage all of our participants to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Impact Gap Year, however, believes in structured volunteering and internships, it contributes to a larger goal rather than simply taking photos for social media. We encourage our volunteers to maintain genuine relationships with the communities that they serve. This is not a party trip and we ask all participants to act responsibly and respect the local cultures they enter.

Yes! Many of our program providers offer credits that can be transferred to your college or university. Contact us to learn more.

Participants will work in 2-5 different countries helping the local community with needs ranging from childcare to construction. Our gap year programs are created to cater to travelers with varying interests so project elements include themes of conservation, community, business and education. This way, each program will utilize each individual’s unique skill set and encourage real, long-lasting change. 

You will find that each program is unique and carefully crafted that will bring you to countries in three continents with the opportunity to volunteer, study or intern abroad.

The unique quality of Impact Gap Year programs is that we offer diverse projects focusing on different areas such as Conservation, Community, Business and Education.

For example, a 6-month program in South Africa, France and Thailand will let you experience 12 weeks on wildlife conservation helping local communities and researchers with habitat restoration and conservation of majestic animals including lions and elephants. After which, you should be traveling to France for a 4-week summer course in Angers, France. After your summer study is over, you should be heading to Thailand for an 8-week immersion in a community helping local educators teach the English language. 

We have a total of 8 programs, 10 destinations and 4 project categories. We understand if you are having difficulty choosing the best program fit for you. Please contact us if you want to speak with one of our advisors.