Gap Year Program
FIND YOUR PASSIONS, CHART YOUR PATH
Join us for one semester or two. Visit two countries or four. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will include three key components: Service, Cultural Immersion and Adventure Travel.
SERVICE
IMMERSION
ADVENTURE
Additionally, each segment will have a specific learning concentration. In Latin America, there will be language instruction and development (no Spanish prerequisite). In South Asia, there will be a focus on self-discovery and personal growth.
two continents. four countries.
countless adventures.
COSTA RICA
GUATEMALA
INDIA
VIETNAM
Our Gap Year volunteers spend their service hours working with children, on environmental management and supporting community development. There is an emphasis on deep cultural immersion through meaningful travel, home visits, cultural activities, language classes and group discussions.
Perhaps most important is the time they spend with our local Young Dreamers. These local teens are scholarship students in our global service and leadership program called Young Dreamer Network. Together, the local Young Dreamers and the Gap Year participants will develop friendships, exchange ideas and work to develop solutions for community challenges. It is an opportunity not just to collaborate, but to truly understand what life is like for a young person in rural Guatemala or central India. It is a lens into another culture that will fundamentally impact your perspective on the world!
Custom Trips
Design Your Own Experience
Dream Volunteers offers scheduled service trips with other volunteers to destinations all over the globe. There are specially designed trips for students and youth groups, for families with young children, and for adults of all ages. Alternatively, you may decide to customize a trip with us for your group or yourself. Regardless of who you are, there is a trip for you!
At Dream Volunteers, we are happy to customize a trip according to your exact needs. If you represent a group, school, club, or organization or you simply want a trip that’s different than what you see listed, contact us. Whether you want a longer stay, different dates, travel extensions, or other activities or excursions than what is listed in our scheduled programs, or if you have specific limitations or needed accommodations, Dream Volunteers can design the trip that will fit your needs. You can be confident that all logistics are covered and trip components are organized.
Custom Trip Features
- Any size group
- Flexibility on dates and duration
- A choice of housing
- Choice in service project(s)
- Additional activities (such as language lessons or cultural classes)
- Coordination for travel extensions and excursions
- Anything else that you will need for your perfect volunteer trip!
Experience of a Lifetime
“If there is one thing [I hope to] remember, it is that life is a lot cooler when you’re experiencing it firsthand and extraordinary things happen when you realize time is precious!”
“The Dream Volunteers’ Gap Year was the right choice for me because it helped me grow out of my comfort zone and it gave me the opportunity to see how many different cultures live and thrive in their own communities.”
“Participating in the Dream Volunteers gap year program was an amazing experience that allowed me to step far beyond my comfort zone. As a result, I became a more independent, resourceful, and conscious person. It taught me the importance of giving back to my community and sparked my interest in the environment, which is the reason I have chosen to study Environmental Studies, along with Mathematics in college. If it wasn’t for this program I wouldn’t feel nearly as prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.”
“These trips immerse young adults like me in diverse cultures and inspire us to take initiative and develop passions against racial, gender, and social inequalities. By immersing myself in different cultures and backgrounds it reminds me of the many communities our world is made up of. It is not only important to make a difference in these local communities, but also essential to bring this passion of change to our home communities.”
Let’s talk… We’d love to find a way to collaborate!
