What to do during your gap year?
A gap year is a well-constructed twelve-month break that one usually takes after school and before starting college. The concept of a gap year originated in the United Kingdom but over time gained popularity around the whole world. A gap year may include something as simple as travelling or moving to another country to teach a skill or language. Often students are sure they want to volunteer but are unsure of what exactly they want to accomplish. Here are a few points that you can make your gap year memorable:
· Reevaluate your long-term goals:
The main motive of your gap year is to help you discover your passion and figure out your career trajectory. Not having a rough idea of the goals you wish to accomplish in the long term will make you more confused after your gap year.
· Focus on extracurricular activities:
Apart from being a great way to strengthen your resume or college application, extracurriculars will also help you to understand your likes and dislikes. Their key idea is to explore an avenue you haven’t explored yet. For example, you might want to take up singing classes or acting
· Give back to the community:
Serving the community you have grown up in is a great way to give back. Giving back to your neighborhood can be something as simple as planting trees or picking up trash in your local park. The whole idea is to be an active part of the locality
· Volunteering :
One of the most popular activities to do during your gap year is to volunteer. There are thousands of issues and causes that need assistance and prospective volunteers simply don’t know where to start. Platforms like ConnectFor helps people find NGOs and roles that can best help leverage their skills accordingly.
Several NGOs have also digitized which allows volunteers to render their service remotely. Currently, there are over 3 million NGOs in India catering to thousands of causes so one can always find the opportunity that is the best suited.
· Get out of your comfort zone:
Stepping out of your comfort zone is the best way to mature and develop your personality. One way to get out of your comfort zone is to travel solo and work/volunteer in another city. This is commonly known as ‘volunteer tourism’. A great way to experience this if you live in a city is to get in touch with NGOs primarily focusing on rural issues and travel to rural areas which would help you directly impact the rural community. This way of both traveling solo and volunteering is a sure way to kill two birds with one stone.
— Blog by Vaman Shenoy, ConnectFor Intern.
