For high school grads and university students choose New River’s favorite program… Patagonia Gap Year.
Dates: October 18 to December 20, for more info email NewRiverGap@gmail.com.
Related read… Meet your gap year instructor Tino Specht.
Related read… What ages can apply to Patagonia Gap Year.
Gappers build a first aid kit at their Pucon Chile base.
Last week I had a teleconference with a father after his daughter enamored by kayaking had persistently asked to apply to New River’s Patagonia Gap Year. Eventually he agreed to speak with me but had concerns that could mainly fall into two categories. He left our conversation feeling worse about sending his daughter. And I knew I had poorly articulated and needed to further address his points.
A father’s two concerns related to Patagonia Gap Year were:
- Concern 1, Safety- the father was mostly concerned with Chile as a nation’s safety versus safety on the river. The safety blog (coming next week) addresses multiple levels of safety and how PGY will prep students for life accountability and wise decision making.
- Concern 2, “How can taking a year off motivate my child to succeed in university and career?” (when all she wants to do is kayak?)
The father’s points are of such importance that I’m dedicating two blogs to the separate answers. I would like to thank him for the reminder, the opportunity to improve communication, and the topic of PGY’s next two e-news letters.
For Students- If you are considering applying to PGY then you should forward this email to your parents. Or get your parents on the enews list. They have questions and before they will consider allowing you to apply they need those questions answered.
For Parents- Consider reading the entire response. You may be surprised by the answer.
Excerpts below are taken direct from email correspondence:
(Father’s name of potential applying PGY student),
I got away from your response as I departed for a trip. I’ve thought about and processed our conversation and will best provide answers to your concerns. From our conversation the points can be categorized into two areas:
A. Safety concerns
And, B. “How can taking a year off motivate (student name) to succeed in university and career?”
(Safety Response Coming Soon)
Second Issue: “How can taking a year off motivate (student’s name) to succeed in university?”
(Father’s name) you have excellent points. First I want to note the value of your parental and family educational influence and work ethic. Yes. Yes. Yes. These come into play more than you might realize at the moment. The family values are instilled but at this development stage the adolescent often has trouble accepting them based on some mental blocks.
Some College Stats
Here are a few statistics and ideas that may help. The average drop out rate for freshman nationwide is 40%. For some schools it’s even higher. The odds of finishing a degree are even smaller. The reasons so many freshman drop out are various but most involve being emotionally unprepared for college such as an inability to cope with the freedom of college – not going to classes, being distracted by parties and other social activities, loneliness. Also many freshman don’t have any idea what they want to do with their life and instead of using college to explore they get the mistaken idea that they have to decide on a major and see it through. When they realize they’re not interested in their chosen subject the other temptations on their time cause them to fail. This failure then convinces them that college is not for them and it takes years before they go back if they ever do.
Photo journalism students compose shots in Pichilemu, Chile. This is the cyber generation and media skills offer a competitive edge.
What the gap year does is take the pressure off the college decision. It allows kids to mature emotionally in a controlled environment while they pursue their own interests in this case kayaking. For example by allowing the kids to be part of the planning and executing of their own kayak trips they learn to manage their time, their finances and their energy, they learn to balance the fun of kayak trips with a sampling of academic studies such as Spanish and Photography/video. Instead of the pressure of having to make good grades in 15 plus hours of college courses, many of which they are not even interested in, the gap year allows an exploration of how best to balance their personal interests with academic demands.
Traveling in a foreign country broadens perspectives and the experience of traveling, meeting new people, making new friends while doing what they love (kayaking) gives students the social skills they will need to form the strong friendships in college that have proven to be one of the best predictors of success in college. College for freshman is a foreign culture but not as foreign as traveling in a different country with a different language. The gap year abroad teaches students how to successfully navigate a foreign culture so when they go back to the U.S. College seems tame and easily manageable.
Is the grass greener on the other side? Gap year students watch and rescue goats being herded to the highland grasses of the Achibueno Valley.
The grass always looks greener on the other side. This is especially true for kayakers. The romance of traveling abroad to kayak, running spectacular rivers, pursuing ones own interests sounds like paradise after the restrictive routines of High School but the reality of traveling abroad and kayaking are harsh and challenging. Lots of things go wrong. Vehicles break down. Rivers are too high or too low to run. A beautiful day turns cold and rainy. Ones fellow kayakers have their own personality quirks that grate on ones nerves. Even trying to find a bathroom can become a major challenge. Despite it being everything the kayakers dreamed of there’s always the moment when loneliness and homesickness strike and home seems like the most wonderful place in the world. After a year of traveling abroad the fantasy of the kayak paradise is replaced by the realization that we make our own happiness from struggles and disappointments, successes and failures, incredible highs and moments of loneliness that make up life no matter where we are.
Our education system has it backwards. We force young people into college, force them to choose a course of study and work incredibly hard, make sacrifices all in the pursuit of a fantasy tomorrow. College becomes simply a means to an end and if a student isn’t already committed to that end it’s almost impossible to see the point of so much work. The gap year by allowing college students to first pursue their most passionate interest, their fantasy life, gives them the time, space and experiences to understand how much work and sacrifice it takes to make ones own goals and aspirations a reality. The prospect of college takes on an entirely different flavor. Instead of a continuation of the prison that was high school, college becomes the freely chosen means of creating and pursuing a meaningful life.
I’ve personally watched the transformation of students not interested in College time after time. Parents later write me excitedly announcing their child is enrolling on their own to a university or the student requests a letter of recommendation. It takes time. It takes a team effort. I am confident in the product we are offering you. The final stages of adolescent development are more vital than most realize.
Feel free to write your concerns.
David Hughes
For high school grads and university students choose New River’s favorite program… Patagonia Gap Year.
Dates: October 18 to December 20, for more info email NewRiverGap@gmail.com.
Related read… Meet your gap year instructor Tino Specht.
Related read… What ages can apply to Patagonia Gap Year.
