Gap year

Parent Cafe
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<p>Dunno if this is the right place to put this thread… Someone can redirect me if it’s not.
I’m a high school senior … I want to take a gap year after high school but my parents have explicitly stated they will not financially support me. What programs are there (preferably service projects) that I can do that are completely free? I’ve looked up AmeriCorps and it looks pretty great but, 1) It looks a bit intense; 2) I would love to work directly with people, either tutoring children or working with the homeless, just anything directly with people, whereas AmeriCorps, from what I’ve gathered, is building houses or repairing houses and stuff like that, and 3) I’ve read around here that it’s hard to get in and it’s good to have a backup program. Suggestions?</p>

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<p>Google Gap year and the name of your religious affiliation, if you have one. Many denominations have volunteer abroad or in US programs that you could be part of at much lower cost than the commercial gap years. And you do not nec. have to be a member of the denoomination.</p>

<p>Examples:</p>

<p>[jvi</a> -index](<a href=“http://www.jvi.ie/]jvi”>http://www.jvi.ie/) The Jesuit program in Ireland. Among ohter items, they have a home for developmentally disabled people that is looking for gap year workers</p>

<p>[Home[/url</a>] Jesuits in Britain volunteer program</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.cwmission.org/who-we-are]Who”&gt;http://www.cwmission.org/who-we-are]Who</a> we are - CWM](<a href=“Jvcbritain.org”>Jvcbritain.org) Council for World Mission – many churches sharing the work</p>

<p>[The</a> Anglican Diocese of Perú](<a href=“http://www.peru.anglican.org/links.html]The”>http://www.peru.anglican.org/links.html) Episcopalians in Peru</p>

<p>[Gap</a> Year Programs Diocese of Oregon: Youth Ministries](<a href=“http://oregonyouth.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/resources/resources-for-youth/gap-year-programs/]Gap”>Gap Year Programs « Diocese of Oregon: Youth Ministries) some links provided by the Episc. Diocese in Oregon — you don’t have to be Episc. to do these</p>

<p>[History</a> | Young Judaea](<a href=“http://www.youngjudaea.org/site/c.nuIYKfMWIvF/b.6091445/k.C539/History.htm]History”>http://www.youngjudaea.org/site/c.nuIYKfMWIvF/b.6091445/k.C539/History.htm) If you are Jewish, Joung Judaea has gap year programs here & in Israel</p>

<p>You get the idea — do a little googling! Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks so much! I’m personally not religious, do you think these would still be appropriate?</p>

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<p>One thing to consider is health insurance. Make sure that your parent’s health insurance will still cover you if you are not a full time student. Our children were not able to consider a gap year because they would have lost their health insurance if they were not full time students (12 credits).</p>

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<p>Thanks to health care reform, this should not be a problem as long as the OP is under 26. (See [here](<a href=“http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/youngadult/index.html]here[/url]”>http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/youngadult/index.html)</a>.)</p>