So everyone (my son, Mitch, his wife, Melissa, and five-year-old Cris went off for the afternoon to La Paz, about an hour from here (Todos Santos). I opted to stay home where the quiet is wonderful. F0r the last hour I’ve been reading articles on The Gap Year, some from the US, some from England. I’m hoping to link to a whole bunch of them on the Let’s Get Global website (the one that I’m still working on). It doesn’t make sense for me to restate what has many times been so eloquently and passionately expressed.
I may take a couple of sentences from each article and then put in the link.
The hardest arguments to present are the ones that are based on statistics. There really are none. Oh, there’s the one that says young people who do a gap year are more likely to stay in college and graduate. And there’s the one often cited that 30% of college students drop out. Others say between 20 and 30%. And some go lower and some higher. In making an argument for funding, statistics are crucial. And no one has statistics, even about how many gappers there are. It’s kind of sticky to quote statistics if there are none that are official.
Last night over dinner, Mitch suggested, Think big, start small. I’m thinking he’s right. Maybe Let’s Get Global should start with, say twelve schools from different segments of the population and diverse geographical locations. Together we could create and initiate a plan, tweak it for the different populations, but basically keep it the same. After a few years we will have statistics of our own that we can present to a lot more schools around the country. And each year we could expand the number of schools involved.
I’d love comments and perhaps some suggestions of schools that you think would be good test communities. We’d like to take the test across economic, racial, urban, rural boundaries so we can come up with a strong picture of what happens when we bring our ideas into different areas. Our campaign in each community would be designed to include guidance counselors, student clubs, events, local fundraising ideas (for scholarships), and fundraising projects for the students, etc.
Would any of you reading this like to get involved in making this happen in a school in your community? It would be pretty exciting to be a part of the initial twelve. Please write to me at: info@letsgetglobal.org And feel free to comment here as well. Thanks, Rita
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I have some thoughts on this…maybe not completely aligned with your initial thinking…but maybe so! This is kind of long, but if i don’t say it now, i probably won’t get to it at all. so here goes…
I am wondering if focusing on “the gap” years might be tweaked to be a bit larger in scope…gathering data on how travel and involvement in other cultures changes youth attitudes towards themselves, their community of orgin, their own lives and families, and their place in the world — and how those shifts create better students, higher achievers etc. leading to better outcomes in college.
I think there are arguments too, related to how youth travel, especially if it includes involvement with the lives of people in other countries, changes the outcomes of youth risk and resiliency assessments…making youth more resilient.
How does that apply to what you are doing? Well, youth who are more resilient do better when faced with the challenges that often lead to dropping out of college…which as I recall, is often due to lack of life skills, using drugs & alcohol, not having a sense of meaning about their studies or what they want to do in life.
When I coordinated a community health council I asked the State epidemiologists to identify the resiliences that were statistically valid as effective “protective” factors” for our youth (protecting against involvement in fights, using substances, carrying weapons)
One of the top 3 resiliencies was/is hopes and dreams for the future. So we addressed hopes and dreams for the future in every Restorative Justice Circle I facilitated. And WOW, what a difference.
Non profits may have some of the stats you need about what makes college students successful. Some of it may give you information to use that can be referred to as “implied outcomes”. Basically, you make the point that certain actions are proven to be effective in achieving certain results ie: better college achievements, and you cite those stats and then show that what you are proposing shares some essential components of those successful actions, – therefore, it can be IMPLIED that what you are suggesting/your action will also be successful.
Non-profits that work with exhange programs, or youth travel projects may have already gathered data on how travel changed the attitudes of the youth, or led them to do better in school, or get involved in community actions…or decide to go to college, i don’t know, but its another avenue of gathering info.
Traveling creates a whole new world of dreaming, a whole new perspective on opportunities, a sense of being part of the world in a bigger, more meaningful way. That can lead to better choices and better outcomes in college, work etc. etc.
Anyway, just some thoughts. I look forward to seeing how things go with this and believe in what it can mean, for everyone.
Wishing you great success from the sunny, snow blanketed mesa of northern new mexico!
Rose Gordon
Rose, I love your thinking and I would very much like to discuss some of your ideas. I’d like to call you over the weekend. Please e-mail me with your phone number and/or e-mail address. Thanks.
Rita
femalenomad@ritagoldengelman.com
Rita, I would like to refer you to a new book, The New Global Student by Maya Frost. Although it is really a handbook for parents and students who want a “truly international education,” I think it also has useful information about being a “student” in the world. There are lots of stories from students themselves about how they went about getting this education and what it meant to them.
Diane, Hi I have had Maya’s book for a while (we share a publisher) and she and I have talked a couple of times. Your instincts are very much on target. I will definitely recommend it on our site. I might even talk about it here. Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I’ll get her to write something here. Hmmm. It would serve both of us.