Adventure and Leadership Program: Semester Length, Fall and Spring Cohorts

I really loved this program! The staff is so welcoming and personable. They really made the experience what it is. They always made themselves available to talk if need be. They handled problems with a great amount of thought, grace, and efficiency.
I really grew a lot as a person during this program because the activities we did pushed me. It made me realize that I am a lot more capable mentally and physically then I previously thought.
Also, the Irish people welcomed us with open arms. We really got to know people from local businesses. I met a lot of great people on this trip that I will keep in contact with and I know that if I ever come back to Ireland there are people hear I call up. One of my favorite things that I will miss is being able to walk out of the house, look left and see the ocean and the cliffs, look right and see Aroo Mountain. It is the most humbling feeling. I would recommend this program to people who love the outdoors and are up for anything.

This program has been a truly once in a lifetime opportunity. The activities, volunteering, and leadership workshops were so much fun, but more than that, I grew so much as a person and gained a family within my cohort. Additionally, our leaders provided an incredible guiding hand when necessary, however also allowed us to make our own mistakes and become more independent people. Overall, this has been an amazing experience and if I was given the chance to do this program again, I would in a heartbeat. I have so many memories from these three months and I wouldn’t trade those for anything.

Irish Gap Year was a very amazing experience because I have grown so much from this program and if you need a break from school and trying to find yourself this is the program to do because how much you do and it’s nothing like home and I really loved this program because how much I’ve gotten to grown because it’s more than just going on hikes and leadership activities. The relationships I have made here will last a long time and I have made a good bond with our leaders and living with everyone.

Irish Gap Year offers much more than adventures and leadership workshops. They challenge you to find your voice amongst adversity within the group and helped me gain more confidence and awareness of who I am and what I believe. The staff shows full support between all hours of the day and have been there whenever called/needed. IGY is a great fit for older teens to make mistakes and achieve personal growth in a beautiful place amongst amazing support. My program leaders Sarah B and Ryan H really succeeded at making relationships with the entire cohort and treating us as adults. The entire staff does a great job of allowing us to make mistakes without making us feel childish. The program is a great place for new adults to test different things and figure out who they are outside of academics and past relationships in an environment that supports the mistakes and the wins wholeheartedly.

My time during the Irish Gap Year program (IGY) has been absolutely incredible. We spent a lot of time helping and learning about the community. Furthermore, we obtained a whole new point of view from Irish history and from the native Irish people. All together, I highly recommend this trip for anyone trying to discover their true self and for anyone who wants to have a great time in a different country. Cmon, guys, it’s fun. Really really fun. Honestly, it was cray cray. Skeety skee, pop pop.⬛️🟧

Everybody within the program has the same goal: to make sure each person got the most of their experiences. They did everything they could to accommodate the needs of each gapper. The personal growth I underwent cannot be described in mere words typed on a device. I truly feel that I have went from a caterpillar to a beautiful and vibrantly colored butterfly. That is no overstatement, as the power of the gap year should not be underestimated. Each student has flourished greatly and it has been a joy to experience.

This Program has put me in a situation where I can prioritize learning, and has allowed me to grow tremendously through trials and tribulations — some of which were self-induced, and others of which were created by IGY to push me to be my best. The standards set by our group leaders was fun loving but serious when necessary. All in all, a very fun supportive environment. I have to say though that the lack of diversity would be the only thing that I would hope could be improved on, but I would sooner associate that with the types of people who end up taking gap years, and most definitely not an unwillingness by IGY to bring in people from different places (which I believe they do try to do.)

It is currently November 24th and I will be leaving in 3 days. This has definitely been my favorite adventure based trip i have made in my teenage years. I looked at many other programs and I would love to share why I made the decision I made to come here. First off the food doesn’t get any better, not every place you will eat at will be a master chefs 5 star restaurant, but I cannot lie when I say every meal here has been amazing food that I couldn’t dislike. And nutrition is the most important for a person who’s away from home in a setting they are not used to. Second off the activities they have here are outstanding. The hikes are beautiful and treat me amazing discipline and teach me how to deal with things that are hard for me to overcome. Not everything is meant to be easy. We did volunteering at a farm and helped build things and plant different fruits and vegetables. Third off being in a new environment with new people was a breathe of fresh air for me. For some people it may be hard but I had to learn how to deal with situations a lot more like an adult would, and this specifically has helped me so much with that. I am aware that I am only one program out of many that has embarked on this amazing experience, but me personally have loved the people I have met here and the friends that I have created. And I am very very excited to say that this trip is something that will stay with me for forever. This trip has become such a big part of who I am. I can’t imagine what will happen next. I’d like to thank every person on this trip that made it immaculate and amazing. I have had the time of my life and I’m happy to say that I am embarked on the Irish Gap Year of 2021.