Step 1ApplyStep 2TrainStep 3ImmerseStep 4ConnectStep 5Lead
Discover your future.
A year outside the traditional classroom environment before college impacts your future in ways you can hardly yet imagine. Explore the possibilities that a year of international immersive learning holds—and see if Global Citizen Year might be right for you.
Build your foundation.
One of the hallmarks of a Global Citizen Year is the unique opportunity to develop critical skills, master new tools, and learn from recognized experts as part of our intensive ongoing training and one-on-one coaching.
SUMMER CAMPAIGN
In the months leading up to your departure, you will embark on the first stage of training and leadership development through a targeted outreach campaign among your own network of supporters. Your goal will be to mobilize your community and build support for your Global Citizen Year, inspiring people to action and, eventually, connecting your local and global communities through your experience.
FALL TRAINING
As the summer winds down, you will join your cohort in California for a two-week intensive training course that will introduce you to important concepts in global development and social change, engaged and mindful leadership, and effective communication across diverse media and cultures. Through a combination of lectures, activities, and visits to leading businesses and organizations in the area (such as Google, IDEO, or Kiva.org), the Fall Training will give you a concrete framework for understanding the issues you will encounter in the field.Experts from past trainings include:
- David Abernethy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stanford University
- Matt Flannery, Founder & CEO, Kiva.org
- John Wood, Founder & CEO, Room to Read
- Kevin Starr, Director, Mulago Foundation
- Linda Mornell, Founder, Summer Search
- Jocelyn Wyatt, Executive Director, IDEO.org
- Nathaniel Whittemore, Founder, Assetmap Strategies
- Tori Hogan, Founder, Beyond Good Intentions
- Ken Himmelman, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Bennington College
IN-COUNTRY ORIENTATION
After training, your many months of preparation culminate in a long awaited departure for your country post, to which you will travel directly from California along with the rest of your country group. Upon arrival in your host country, you will engage in an in-depth orientation that will familiarize you with your host country’s culture and language, teach you the skills you need to begin your apprenticeship, and prepare you to stay safe and healthy throughout your time abroad.
Integrate into a new community.
True global citizenship begins with direct experience living, working, and learning beyond our borders. As a Global Citizen Year Fellow, you will become an integral member of a new community and learn firsthand about life in the developing world.
COMMUNITY IMMERSION
The core months of your Global Citizen Year will be spent in the field, living with a carefully selected host family and serving as an apprentice with a local, national, or international organization working on a pressing global challenge tailored to your interest and skill set.It is only by living and experiencing the intricacies of others' lives directly that we can even begin to determine what our contribution should -- or shouldn't -- be." Gaya Morris 2010 Fellow in Senegal
APPRENTICESHIP
Apprenticeships are specifically matched to each Fellow's interests. Most apprenticeships fall into four main categories: economic development, public health, the environment, and education. Whatever your particular placement, your apprenticeship will be a rare opportunity to learn firsthand from experts and practitioners, observe the inner workings of a local organization or community project, and, over time, contribute your efforts in service of local solutions. To learn more, click here.HOMESTAY
During your apprenticeship, you will live with a local family that serves as your home base and point of entry into your new community, integrating you into day to day routines and special occasions as a member of the family. Your homestay experience will provide you an intimate glimpse into local life and customs, help you form deep and meaningful relationships with the people around you, and ensure that you develop full proficiency in a new language over the course of your stay.MONTHLY SEMINARS
Each month, you will gather with your fellow Fellows and Global Citizen Year Field Staff to attend on-going training seminars, where you will participate in group discussions, engage with local experts, and receive one-on-one coaching from our experienced staff. These monthly seminars are designed to both complement and amplify your learning in the field while also providing invaluable time for your country cohort to come together to process your shared experience.
Share your story.
Through your blogs, photos, and other media, your Global Citizen Year will extend beyond your own individual experience to impact all those who support you from afar.
BLOG
The Global Citizen Year Fellows’ Blog will serve as your primary platform to share your stories and connect the lives of your supporters back home with your new community abroad.
MULTIMEDIA
Throughout your Global Citizen Year, you will have the opportunity to learn photo and video editing skills -- and put them to good use! Just as powerful as your written words, your photos and videos will bring your experience to life for all those following you on your journey and give you a lasting record of your experience.CAPSTONE PRESENTATION
As you near the end of your Global Citizen Year, you will move into a Capstone Stage characterized by reflection, analysis, and outward expressions of your learning and growth. The Capstone Stage begins in-country with a final presentation to your host organization and community encapsulating the work you have done and lessons you have learned during your time as an apprentice and member of the community. As part of your Capstone Stage, you will deliver a product or presentation that encapsulates your experience in the field and helps instill the power of global citizenship in your family, friends, and home community.
Unleash your potential.
Global citizenship doesn’t end with your Global Citizen Year—in fact, this year is just the beginning.
The whole bridge year concept has turned out to be even better than I anticipated. I feel so prepared and inspired to start college and to incorporate everything I've learned into my life ahead of me." Caroline Pocock2011 Fellow in Ecuador
RE-ENTRY TRANSITION
During your final weeks in the field, you will begin to prepare for the challenges and opportunities associated with departing your new community and returning home. Your Re-Entry Transition begins in your final Monthly Seminar and continues with a week of Re-Entry Training in California upon your return, where you will join with your entire cohort and Global Citizen Year staff to lay the foundation for a successful transition home and, before long, to college.SPRING EVENTS
Once home, the Capstone Stage continues with a period of Spring Events to share your experience with schools, community centers, and other audiences who have supported you throughout your Global Citizen Year. Using multi-media or presentation-based platforms, you will communicate what you have learned and raise awareness about the places, people, and issues you have come to know, strengthening connections between your local and global communities and inspiring those around you to get involved.BRIDGING THE GAP
Once you've successfully completed your Spring Events and fulfilled all other program requirements, you will join the ranks of the Global Citizen Year alumni -- a growing corps of empathetic, insightful global citizens who bring firsthand experience and critical insight to campuses and careers around the world. With the tenets of leadership and global citizenship now woven into your education, you will approach the rigors of higher education and the challenges of the 21st century with the firsthand experience, cross-cultural fluencies, and critical insight necessary to make a vital and lasting impact on your world.