Free Gap Year Guide & Starter Kit
Posted On
06/17/20
Author
Dragons HQ
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ARE YOU CONSIDERING A GAP YEAR?
If you're between the ages of 17-22 and are weighing the pros and cons of taking a break between high school and college, we've developed a free Gap Year Guide & Starter Kit to help you understand whether a Gap Year is right for you.
Download for Free
HOW WILL THE DRAGONS GAP YEAR GUIDE & STARTER KIT HELP ME?
If your Gap Year ambitions include gaining experience in wilderness exploration, language study, community engagement, activism, and/or cultural immersion, this guide highlights how a custom-crafted Dragons semester in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, can support your educational goals.
It’s also equipped with statistics, guiding questions, student testimonials, links to resources, and interactive activities that will help you determine if taking time off the typical academic path will better prepare you for your future.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE INTERACTIVE PLANNING ACTIVITIES?
Download the PDF to engage with the following interactive features:
- Guiding Questions
- Links to relevant blogs and resources
- Goal Setting Visioning Activity
- Average Perfect Day + Best Day Ever (Ad Lib)
- Timeline Activity
- How to Choose a Dragons Program
PS. WANT DRAGONS BLOG UPDATES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX? ONE EMAIL A WEEK. NOTHING MARKETY. UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME. SUBSCRIBE TO DRAGONS BLOG AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. ❤️
[post_title] => Free Gap Year Guide & Starter Kit
[post_excerpt] => Committing to a Gap Year is a big decision. We developed the Gap Year Guide & Starter Kit to help you understand whether a Gap Year is right for you. The guide comes equipped with statistics, guiding questions, quotes from students, links to resources, and interactive activities. You can download it and view it in a PDF viewer to get started.
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[post_content] => Building Sustainable Relationships With Land & Water in the Western United States
Catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dragons is excited to facilitate new low-impact domestic programs closer to home. Our Colorado River Basin Semester continues to advance our mission to offer immersive and responsible travel by exploring the history, culture, and environments of the North American West. Taking health risks into account, we are initially prioritizing programs that remain in-line with public health recommendations and which do not pose a greater risk to vulnerable populations.
Coming September 1st, 2020, 10 Gap Year students will travel slowly by foot, train, and boat to connect the Colorado River's ecosystems from alpine peaks to desert canyons.
Participants will backpack to the source of the Colorado River. Get their hands dirty studying permaculture and sustainability on local farms. Float through the desert canyons of Utah and sleep under a blanket of endless stars. Forge lasting friendships and connect to landscapes that will call you back for many years to come.
Program Highlights:
[caption id="attachment_157040" align="alignleft" width="356"]
Photo by Tim Hare, Instructor.[/caption]
- Engage with movements for food justice and food sovereignty
- Meet with scientists, activists, ranching families, Native American communities, and recreational groups to gain a deeper understanding of the demands on land and water
- Study permaculture with sustainable farmers and learn about practical solutions for climate change
- Develop a complex understanding of the human history and a deeper connection with the natural environment in the high mountains and winding desert canyons
- 2-week backpacking expedition along the Continental Divide including possible summits of 13,000 and 14,000+ foot peaks
- Float the red rock canyons of the Colorado River Basin while you learn about complicated demands on this precious resource and how water has carved the magnificent natural beauty of the Southwest
- Study controversial land use issues and natural resource extraction practices in the Bears Ears National monument and other public lands
- Learn how communities of the Southwest carve out their existence amidst the greatest drought in centuries and strike a delicate balance in a competition for scarce natural resources
Learn more about the semester on the program page.
PS. WANT DRAGONS BLOG UPDATES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX? ONE EMAIL A WEEK. NOTHING MARKETY. UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME. SUBSCRIBE TO DRAGONS BLOG AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. ❤️
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Announcing Dragons Domestic Fall Gap Year Program: The Colorado River Basin Semester
Posted On
06/15/20
Author
Dragons HQ
Description
Coming September 1st, 2020, 10 Gap Year students will travel slowly by foot, train, and boat to connect the Colorado River's ecosystems from alpine peaks to desert canyons. Read MoreWP_Post Object
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[post_content] => Dragons Director of Admissions, Eva Vanek, was quoted by a reporter from The Hechinger Report about the recent spike in Gap Year interest. Here is an excerpt from the article:
"When the coronavirus first hit in March, many students who had been planning on taking a gap year decided college might be a safer option, said Eva Vanek, admissions director at a gap year provider called Where There Be Dragons.
'Now, in the last few weeks, that conversation is definitely shifting, where we’re hearing from a lot of students who are in particular nervous that they’re going to have to start their freshman year online,' Vanek said.
Even some students already enrolled in college are considering taking a gap year in the middle of it, an indication of how many doubt that their campuses will return to normal in the fall and want to avoid another semester or two of learning online."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE AT THE NEW YORK TIMES.
PS. WANT DRAGONS BLOG UPDATES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX? ONE EMAIL A WEEK. NOTHING MARKETY. UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME. SUBSCRIBE TO DRAGONS BLOG AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. ❤️
[post_title] => DRAGONS FEATURED ON PBS NEWSHOUR: WILL COVID-19 FEARS LEAD TO THE BIGGEST GAP YEAR EVER?
[post_excerpt] => Dragons Director of Admissions, Eva Vanek, was quoted by a reporter from The Hechinger Report about the recent spike in Gap Year interest. When the coronavirus first hit in March, many students who had been planning on taking a gap year decided college might be a safer option, said Eva Vanek, admissions director at a gap year provider called Where There Be Dragons.
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DRAGONS FEATURED ON PBS NEWSHOUR: WILL COVID-19 FEARS LEAD TO THE BIGGEST GAP YEAR EVER?
Posted On
05/06/20
Author
Dragons HQ
Description
Dragons Director of Admissions, Eva Vanek, was quoted by a reporter from The Hechinger Report about the recent spike in Gap Year interest. When the coronavirus first hit in March, many… Read MoreWP_Post Object
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[post_content] => Did you catch this episode of Dragons podcast featuring a mother and daughter who have both been on a Dragons course in Nepal?
Bub Vernon (Dragons Indonesia Semester Alumni) and this mother-daughter duo discuss:
-
Seva goes to Nepal for a Dragons semester. Years later, her mother goes on a Dragons Program for adults.
-
The differences & similarities in Dragons experiences for a student & adult.
-
What “immersion” really involves and looks like.
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The nature of time and depth of relationships built on programs.
-
The difference between “going on vacation” and building relationships with people who have lives and culture different from your own.
-
Favorite moments & mishaps.
LISTEN NOW ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, AND MORE.
PS. WANT DRAGONS BLOG UPDATES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX? ONE EMAIL A WEEK. NOTHING MARKETY. UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME. SUBSCRIBE TO DRAGONS BLOG AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. ❤️
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DRAGONS PODCAST: ONE LOCATION, ONE FAMILY, TWO TRAVEL EXPERIENCES WITH DRAGONS YEARS APART
Posted On
05/05/20
Author
Dragons HQ
Description
Seva goes to Nepal for a Dragons semester. Years later, her mother goes on a Dragons Program for adults. Did you catch this episode of Dragons podcast featuring a mother… Read MoreWP_Post Object
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[post_date] => 2020-04-27 16:51:55
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[post_content] => 
Dragons was featured in a New York Times article discussing Gap Year ideas for college students who are considering alternative options during this time of uncertainty.
That’s the essence of the gap year mind-set: Teenagers who are ready for challenges can find ways to achieve their goals. And just as a traditional education is about preparing a young person for adult life, learning to be resilient in handling the challenges of an unpredictable gap year can build valuable life skills as well.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE AT THE NEW YORK TIMES.
PS. WANT DRAGONS BLOG UPDATES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX? ONE EMAIL A WEEK. NOTHING MARKETY. UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME. SUBSCRIBE TO DRAGONS BLOG AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. ❤️
[post_title] => DRAGONS FEATURED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES: GAP YEAR IDEAS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
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DRAGONS FEATURED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES: GAP YEAR IDEAS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
Posted On
04/27/20
Author
Dragons HQ
Description
Dragons was featured in a New York Times article discussing Gap Year ideas for college students who are considering alternative options during this time of uncertainty. Read MoreWP_Post Object
(
[ID] => 156673
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[post_date] => 2020-04-21 11:03:01
[post_date_gmt] => 2020-04-21 17:03:01
[post_content] => Last night I stepped out into the front yard and was met by a numinous presence. It was 9:30 pm, and our neighborhood, the nearby highway, and streets were bathed in silence. The languid moon slid in and out of clouds, leaving me awestruck at the texture, volume, and animate character of the sky.
An hour earlier, I sat with my seven-year-old as she broke down in tears of fear and sadness—not the typical bedtime tears of disappointment—her embodied response to the uncertainty and isolation she feels during these weeks without school or friends.
My evening’s juxtaposition between the heartache of loss, and my awe at the mystical power of the night sky is representative of our collective family experience. It is a roller coaster of ambiguity and uncertainty expressed by colleagues, friends, and the global community at large.
The familiar refrain echoes that we are in “uncharted territory;” there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how we will get through this, and what life will look like on the other side. As the depth of this portal is exposed, we’re coming to terms with the reality that we may not “get back to normal.” We are all together on a transformative journey that will leave us with a world different from what we have known.
[caption id="attachment_156687" align="aligncenter" width="566"]
Photo by Aaron Slosberg, Instructor.[/caption]
How do we navigate the COVID era?
Confronted with the uncertainty and ambiguity of our current social environment, the value of global experiential education pedagogy comes into focus. Represented by organizations such as the Independent School Experiential Education Network (ISEEN), and the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG), global experiential programming exposes students to challenging and unfamiliar cultural environments that evoke a clarification of values and foster cultural competencies. Courses are often designed to be disorienting, bewildering, and to present uncertain circumstances. In short, it can look and feel very much like the situation we find ourselves in today.
Over the past ten years, Independent Schools have invested in global experiential education programs. The shift also marks an active investment in educator skill-sets, pushing the role of teachers to include mentoring and facilitating students. Teachers increasingly find themselves holding space as students navigate unfamiliar and challenging environments in a way that fosters growth and learning. The unique skills needed to guide such programs are the same that apply to the uncharted and emotionally charged future we are confronted with today. At this critical time, we are invited to lean into the discomfort, to work with students to question the norm, and empower them to write their own narratives of what our future will look like.
[caption id="attachment_155968" align="aligncenter" width="574"]
Photo by Arwyn Drew, Student.[/caption]
How will schools respond to this moment in time?
While we may not be able to offer group travel programs, now is the time to double-down on the practice of global experiential education, and recommit to this progressive shift. But based on check-ins with Independent School colleagues, the response to COVID-19 is mixed. Some report struggles in trying to keep with a rigorous academic schedule. Others have responded by reducing the focus on global education and laying off the Director of Global Education, while others are continuing to forge ahead, investing in capacity building, and feasible models for experiential education in the new era.
The unbounded vastness of this global pandemic is overwhelming. It can easily lead to tears and despair. Such an uncertain challenge triggers the fight or flight response. For schools, it may seem that the safest path forward is to revert to what we know best—content learning within the structures of traditional disciplines—or to impose outdated educational structures on a new and dynamic reality.
But there is another option: The option to give pause and to foster, in ourselves and our students, an openness to the awkward spaciousness before us. Paramount to the practice of global, experiential education, is creating space within our overbusy schedules to reflect on and honestly question current social and environmental realities around us. Indeed, perhaps the greatest, most revolutionary facet of experiential education is reflection; inviting students to evoke questions, clarify values, challenge beliefs, and hone opinions based on firsthand experience. The car has stopped;, we have the opportunity to get out, spread the map on the hood, and plot our course forward.
How do we rise up to this challenge?
Transformation is not without pain; the deconstruction of what was, is a necessary precondition to create space for what will be. A new education, without the defining markers of 45-minute periods, four walls, and students moving along the assembly line of content acquisition is possible! We have been presented with a crack in our social and educational systems in which we might plant a new seed. Moments of crisis can lead to rapid institutional transformation —otherwise impossible in normal times.
In this crisis, we are called upon to be guides and mentors, empowering students as they cautiously emerge from this crisis into a new world—one in which the ability to navigate uncharted terrain is paramount. The great skill of holding space, and leaning into the discomfort of new realities is now more important than ever. It is the mandate of global and experiential education to do so, allowing students to access their inner wisdom and write their own narrative of this historical moment.
And we can expect that the ambiguity found in this “uncharted territory” will be the new norm, whether it results from another global health pandemic, the impacts of climate change, or the need to negotiate limited resources amongst an expanding global population.
Right now, we are being asked to embrace the spacious clearing this great storm has left in our lives—not to get back to an over-busy schedule as soon as possible. We should leverage the practice of global experiential education to guide students, and ourselves, through this transformative journey by slowing down, building relationships, and looking inward. If we do, we may learn to listen to the numinous wisdom of the night sky, or more importantly, clarify values from our own tears and emotions. We may find, as an educational community, that there are many things here in this spacious clearing we can take with us as we move forward.
[caption id="attachment_156686" align="aligncenter" width="570"]
Photo by Nina Redpath, Student.[/caption]
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[post_title] => INTO THE UNKNOWN: WHY GLOBAL, EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IS NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
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INTO THE UNKNOWN: WHY GLOBAL, EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IS NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
Posted On
04/21/20
Author
Simon Hart, Director of School Partnerships
