The time has come that your child is starting college. Some will have their plans all figured out and know what college they want to go, but some will just want to take a gap year and that’s completely fine. Taking a gap year will offer your child the opportunity to gain new skills and have the time for reflex and figure out what their next step in life is.
Taking a gap year to apply for volunteer programs will help your child relate to their future subjects that they choose to study. As a parent you are probably worried that it might be hard getting back into the habit of studying but have no worries, most admission tutors will allow your child time to adjust to everything after their gap year. They can even start their own blog and write about their travel experience and help others.
Take Care of Elephants in Namibia
Taking care of elephants that are helpless and in need is one of the most rewarding projects that your child can enroll in. Projects that are based on protecting elephants induce doing things like monitoring and tracking them, but as well as participating in researching the data. So if you are looking for a gap year project that will make your child a better person a journey to Namibia will definitely be one of the life-changing experiences your child will have.
Help Save the Turtles in Costa Rica
If your child is showing interest in helping save baby turtles, Costa Rica is one of the few places where you can enroll in a project that will help them fulfil that dream. There are many projects that are made for gap year students. Most of the projects that they offer induce accommodation and of course free time so they can enjoy the breathtaking beaches of Costa Rica.
Work in a Zoo in Malaysia
There are so many places that have programs for gap year students who like to work and help animals. If you think that your child would enjoy exploring Malaysia this is the one for them. There is a lot of job options that they can choose from like maintenance and building, research and observation, stimulate animals or they can even lead educational tours on the zoo.
Explore the Whales in the Norwegian Arctic
If you think that your child is more into colder weather and exploring rather than being on a beach, there are programs where they can go whale watching but a whole other level. They will watch male sperm whales, killer and humpback whales. But that’s not all that they will do, they will have the opportunity to record and download data and enterprise whale sounds for research. They will get to hear the whales communicate with some amazing special equipment.
Rescue Corals in Seychelles
Seychelles is best known for the golden sand beaches, large tortoises and the famous sea coconut palms that are only found in a couple of places on the earth. There are many projects that are focusing mainly on rescuing coral reefs. At the Marine National Park, they are looking into the tragic effect of climate change. They can enroll in programs where your child will be able to help scientists evaluate the health of the water that surrounds the coral frees and measure the coral growth and classifying the diversity by using special underwater cameras.
Marine Conservation Program in Thailand
Thailand offers the best gap year volunteer programs. The most popular one is the marine project, because anyone who is interested in science, environment or just likes nature can help make a difference. Projects mainly focus on saving coral reefs that are endangered because of pollution and overfishing. Programs like this one will help your child learn some valuable skills like data gathering, survey work and skills that will make them more aware of the negative effect we have on nature.
The Predator Research Program
This one’s for really adventurous people, so if your child is interested in being out in the wilderness, this is an option for them. This program takes place in the Amazon and they focus on bush dog monitoring and rainforest research. The work is based on collecting data, research and setting camera traps.
Religions Projects in Chile
This is a bit different type of a program for a gap year student, and it is perfect for those who like an unusual route. If your child is interested in taking a gap year to give back to the world this is the perfect one. These kinds of programs offer accommodation with local families and that makes it a perfect opportunity to get to know a different type of living and learn some more Spanish.
Visit a Husky Ranch in Canada
If you know that your child is a big dog lover than choosing a program like this is the best option for them. These kinds of programs last about one to two months, and during that period your child will get to groom, feed and walk the huskies. They will also take part in dog sledding, snowmobiling and ranch maintenance as well as preparing dog sleds and cleaning them.
Teaching People in Beijing
There are a lot of teaching gap year programs where your child can even make money, and that makes it ideal if you can’t pay for the full program. Those kinds of teaching programs usually last about a year and the organisations provide them with accommodation and a decent salary. So if your child is interested in making some money during the gap year and still get to experience the world this is a great opportunity where your child will get to experience a whole new culture, learn new languages and get into new habits.
Help Out Kids in South Africa
Ig your child likes to help people in need this is the best program for them. They can work in some of the most unfortunate towns in South Africa where they will help out in nurseries, schools and other childcare facilities that are in need of some extra hands. They will not only get to teach other children English, but they will also get to participate in activities as teaching them games and playing sports.
Taking Care of Llamas in Peru
Once again if your child likes animals they will most definitely enjoy being part of this conservation project. They will get to spend their gap year helping take care of cute alpacas, llamas and camels. There is nothing better than learning how to take care of those in need that can’t really tell you what’s wrong and how they feel. This will make your child realise how fortunate they are and teach them to be a better person.
Young people choose to take a gap year for many different reasons, and usually, that is for travelling and volunteering. But keep in mind that all motive and desires depend on their personal goals and preferences. Some of them just want to travel but others want to grow as a person. As a parent, you have to realise that giving them this opportunity to broaden their horizons, promote personal growth and learn some new skills.
