College Week Live and Gapyear.com
Launch the Gap Year option to US
students!

Gap Year Guru lands in the US

Tom Griffiths (nicknamed the "Gap Year Guru"), Founder of gapyear.com, the largest Gap Year advice site and community on the web took ‘Gap Years’ to America when he delivered a key note Webinar on CollegeWeekLive last week.

Sir Richard Branson on Tom Griffiths: "His energy and enthusiasm is infectious!"

What is a Gap Year?

- Year out of study taken before or after college - booming trend already in the UK & Australasia
- Now a fast growing option across America [see press examples below]
- Volunteering, independent & group travel, in the US and overseas, are the key gap year activities
- A constructive gap year can help students get into popular Universities & is valued by employers
- The top 3 high schools in the UK, over 50% of their students took a gap year in 2007

Tom Griffiths, Founder of gapyear.com says

"Taking a gap year before or after college is booming in the UK and Australasia and taking off around the world, including America. To give you an idea of the scale, in 2007 the top three private UK high schools saw over 50% of their students electing to take a gap year prior to University - many choosing to volunteer overseas. UK Universities actively encourage gap years as less students drop out after year one compared to those who don’t take a gap year. As for UK industry, a constructive gap year is proven to help students stand out to potential employers who value the life skills and experience gained through the year. Many predict the same positive impact in America as the gap year option takes off".

"Since mid 2007 we have noticed a surge of interest from young Americans keen to take a Gap Year before or after college. Incredibly Americans now make up around 10% of the users on gapyear.com, previously less than 1%. However, their knowledge is pretty limited, which is why we decided to work with CollegeWeekLive to improve the access to the advice and information they require. Over the past six months we have seen more ‘Gap Year’ media across the US than we have seen in the past six years, a further sign that the gap year option is starting to be taken seriously by all".

"America is the sleeping giant of the global Gap Year industry and will certainly surpass the rest of the world in numbers and possibly spend within the next five years. CollegeWeekLive was the perfect platform to deliver advice to students, parents and colleges across the US".

Randy Sykes, Founder of International Student Volunteers comments:

"The Gap Year concept is really starting to take off over here. Although the US percentage of age group take up is no comparison to those currently seen in Europe and Australia, our population size is starting to deliver the numbers. The demand for group travel and Voluntourism projects is certainly growing and the term ‘Gap Year’ is becoming more widely used to describe this period and type of travel pre and post college. America certainly needs to catch up which is why it is great to see Tom, the Gap Year Guru, coming over to inject a bit of life into it all. I’ve seen Tom in action so I know how useful his knowledge and incredible positive energy will be to help advise colleges and their students about their gap year options".

Tony Fowler, Director of Interagency Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, says:

"The benefits to young people taking a constructive gap year before or after college are evident in the UK. Encouraged by Universities and valued by employers, the gap year provides young people of all backgrounds a level playing field and an invaluable step ahead in life. It is also encouraging to see so many young people engaging in volunteering projects, both at home and overseas and creating fundraising opportunities to raise the money themselves. All these qualities are valued in young Americans and as such, the case for monitoring the development of this new option is compelling. I have long been interested in service learning and the Gap Year is an ideal way for American students to provide community and global service as well as gain valuable career experience. We are therefore very interested in seeing the positive outcomes of this new Gap Year option appearing in America. We will be working closely with Tom Griffiths and our UK counterparts to ensure we nurture this option to the benefit of our young people and society".

ENDS

Editors Note

Media Enquires for:-

College Week Live
Patrick Rafter (PR)
Tel: 617-901-2697
prafter@collegeweeklive.com

Gapyear.com
Tom Griffiths, Founder (through Vicky Lee)
Tel: +44 1473 230 766
vlee@gapyear.com

International Student Volunteers Inc
Randy Sykes, Founder (through Karen Tank)
Tel: 714-779-7392
karen@isvonline.com

=======================

What do students do on their gap years?

1. A round the world trip
2. Volunteer work, in the US or overseas
Many more choose volunteer projects, doing their bit to make a difference working hands on with Orangutans in Borneo, Turtles in Costa Rica, building schools in Asia, assisting aid projects in Africa or helping to conserve rainforests and coral reefs around the world.

3. Charity adventurers (CHAD’S!)
Others, the Charity Adventurers, or ‘CHAD’s’ as they are known, pick a charitable cause, an adventure and head off for an unforgettable year of their life. Jo and Ants, "The tuk-tuk girls" drove a pink tuk tuk from Thailand to England (through Laos, China, Kazakhstan, Russia etc..) raising money for a mental health charity; an international group drove East German Trabants "Italian Job" style from Germany to Cambodia to raise money for an orphanage; James and Rob, aged 20, and just about to reach the South Pole, having started at the North Pole and making their way Pole to Pole by bike or boat. Ben Keene, set up tribewanted.com, connecting a real Fijian tribe with a virtual tribe and an eco resort is now being built by this unique global community.

Links:
http://www.tuktotheroad.com
http://www.trabantrek.com
http://www.180degrees.co.uk (Pole to Pole)
http://www.tribewanted.com

US Gap Year media - Headlines

- Washington Post: 'Gap Year' Provides A Different Education
- The Republican: Gap year' provides time for exploration
- Star Press Indiana: 'Gap years' gaining popularity before college
- Chicago Tribune: Generation gap year: More students defer college
- USA Today: More students taking a gap year before college
- 2theadvocate.com: Gap Year Growth - more students take time off before college
- Boston Globe: Taking time off for `gap year' - growing trend finds seniors...
- World Hum: Princeton Makes ‘Gap Year’ Official
- The New York Times: Princeton Plans for an Early Year Abroad
- The Daily Princetonian: Universities introduce new gap year scheme

About CollegeWeekLive
CollegeWeekLive is a unique virtual event designed to allow people involved in the college admissions process (students, parents, teachers, counselors, colleges and universities) to connect and successfully interact with one another in ways that are impossible at physical events, through powerful Web-based software and services. PlatformQ, the producer of the CollegeWeekLive, is a company whose mission is to leverage the accessibility of online events to connect individuals, companies and organizations worldwide -- who might otherwise not be able to travel to physical events or communicate with experts or thought leaders. For the full agenda and speaker roster, participating colleges and universities, and to register for CollegeWeekLive-March 2008, visit: collegeweeklive

About Gapyear.com
Established in 1998, www.gapyear.com provides independent travellers with the opportunity to belong to an online community, share their experiences, seek good advice and purchase their travel items from a one-stop-shop. Gapyear.com continues to be the world’s largest gap year information source and community on the web.

About International Student Volunteers Inc
International Student Volunteers Inc is a non-profit public benefit corporation. For the past 25 years ISV has conducted international travel programs for tens of thousands of students on five continents. During this time, students from around the world have participated in ISV's educational, cultural and adventure programs, and experienced the ultimate in outdoor adventure travel. The purpose of ISV is to create an environment that combines conservation, education, community development and recreation into the ultimate adventure travel program for participants who desire to make a difference by volunteering in communities abroad. International Student Volunteers

Statistics for UK Top 3 Colleges
Research by the UK Independent Schools Careers Organisation (ISCO) found that in 3 of the top private schools in the UK [Eton College, Wellington College and Sherborne School] over 50% of the students leaving in 2007 were taking a gap year. Eton College: 60% Wellington College: 60%, Sherborne School: 50%

Statistics for the Global Gap Year Travel Industry

- Current total estimated spend: $10bn approx

- Industry segments [Gap Year is a 'Life transition' travel industry]
(i) 18-24 year olds, taking gap years around college / education choices
(ii) 25-35 year olds 'Millennials', taking gap years around career change / quarter life crisis
(iii) 50-65 year old 'Boomers', taking gap years around 'empty nest' / retirement age

- Global demographics
(i) The UK has the largest active Gap Year market, making up around $5bn of the total
(ii) Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, Canada and USA make up the rest
(iii) New fast growing markets include USA and Germany
(iv) The fastest growing segments are the UK and US Boomer markets