Program Reviews

The KIVU Gap Year was an invaluable launching pad for me in regards to my cultural competency, social responsibility, and chosen profession. The exposure to novel (for me) ideas and experiences started a process in my life that has continued to cultivate growth. I am more mature, better equipped for engagement in my community, and able to bring the eclectic experiences from Gap Year to any discussion or environment I enter. The Gap Year reoriented my perception from one of myopic, self-concerned focus, to one that is able to understand the need of the world and discern my responsibility and relationship to that need.

The emphasis the KIVU Gap Year has on actively stretching and challenging its participants makes this program an extraordinary and unique choice for students. This program inherently creates and fosters leaders. I would not recommend it to those who are seeking a carefree, unregulated, or typical travel experience. I would recommend it to those who are seeking a demanding, tremendously meaningful, and transformational life experience.

This experience left me with life long friends and immense personal growth. The memories I've made and the adventures we went on I will cherish forever. I'm so thankful I made the choice to go on this journey as a scared and lost senior in high school.

KIVU Gap Year helped me discover my true self and my passions. I met so many amazing people in every destination with stories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
When we made it to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro I realized that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I saw the world so differently from that peak but I also had a sense of self-belief that I had never felt before. I am who I am today because of KIVU Gap Year. I'm stronger, more confident, and more understanding of life all around me.

The Kivu Gap year Program, is in short the greatest choice I have made.

As a high student I struggled with picking the "right" college for me. That's when I came across the Gap Year program. I had heard about it before and dreamed of experiencing what others had but thought "it's just a dream." As a senior I printed out the application, printed off reviews and facts and filled out my application and presented the idea to my parents. Speaking from experience parents usually need a little more convincing then their adventurous daughter, but given the choice I know they would send me again in a heart beat.

This program is unlike any program I have ever heard of. From the beginning you are surround with others from around the country that begin to expand your cultural knowledge and view the world outside the one you were raised in (which is GREAT thing). The program then invites you to the city where you learn your independence in a safe environment. I can honestly say through all six countries, and climbing Mt. Kili those months were the safest I have felt in any situation to date. They train you to be aware, they train you to be a safe traveler.

Host families abroad change you beyond any words could describe. They introduce a new cultural and teach you about their way of life that not only brings you to appreciate what you have but what is to come. The internships is just a PLUS. Every morning in Rwanda I was so excited for the day to come. I made friends with locals that had smiles I will cherish forever. I learned how to love others in ways I didn't know I could.

I don't think I can ever explain in words why everyone in the world should experience this program, besides just do it and don't hold back because it will change your life. I graduated from the gap year program in May 2014 and now in September 2015 I am STILL learning things from the program and using what I learned in my college town. Things that I never thought would interest me, do. Passions that I didn't have before are leaping from chest. It was the best time of my life, and continues to be my greatest lesson.

Gap Year changed my life in every way I did't expect it to. I was pushed and challenged in ways I've never been challenged before. The real life, real world experience and perspective I gained this past year simply cannot be replicated in any classroom or church building. I'm so thankful I got to go and see...
Throughout this trip, there were many highs and lows; moments that I never want to forget and moments that felt like a trial by fire. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced their fiery furnace in Daniel 3, they demonstrated that they had placed their faith not in the outcome of the situation, not in what God would do, but rather their faith was in the person of God, in His character. After gap year, I stand able to boldly echo their declaration of: no matter what happens, I know God is faithful. I have seen His consistency with my own eyes. No matter where I found myself in the world or what crazy, unexpected situation I was in, God was there.
I learned to rely on the Lord in a very real way. Here in the United States where we are taught and highly encouraged to be self-sufficient, the concept of relying on God can be hard to grasp. However, when placed in situations where we truly realize our own insufficiency, our desperate need for God and others is revealed. It was incredibly humbling to find myself in such situations all throughout the gap year, whether it was hiking through the night in a blizzard on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro or working long days in the tropical humidity of the Philippines with the ultra poor...
All this to say, if you're looking for something easy, don't sign up, but if you are willing to take a step of great courage, to be truly broken down, if you let Him, God will use those broken pieces to to piece together deep passions, life-altering perspectives, and real perseverance.

The Kivu Gap Year can completely change your life. Kivu is unique in that it specifically creates a space for you to ask difficult questions about your faith and about who you are. They give you tools and vocabulary to begin trying to explain questions you have never even thought to ask, while providing you with people and resources to guide you through the beautiful mess that is discovering faith and self.

The people I was exposed to during the domestic portion of the program were so different than any I had come in contact with before, and probably never would have had I gone straight to college. But, no doubt, I learned more about community and family from the homeless men and women I got to serve on the streets of Denver than I ever could have in Math 167.

The sheer adventure that is going abroad will shake you up in and of itself. The experiences you have will leave you in awe and exhausted in the best way. The people you meet abroad, whether they be Christians or not, will teach you so much about love and humanity and what it truly means to follow Jesus.

The Gap Year will push you further than you thought, dreamed, or probably ever wanted to go. The people you meet and the unique opportunities you get cannot be matched.

My favorite part of the Gap Year was the time I spent in the Middle East. I was in complete wonder and amazement at the people and culture I came in contact with. Those people and culture taught me so much about my faith and what if means for me to follow Jesus. Everyday since returning home from gap year I find ways to connect my experiences in “normal life” to my experiences while on gap year. The fruits of the experiences I had never cease, and I learn new things each day that tie what God was saying to me then to now.

If you have even the inkling that you should take a gap year, DO IT! I promise you won’t regret it.

Kivu Gap Year has built a one of a kind experience for high school graduates. The program is designed to stretch you outside your comfort zone and ask you the tough questions all while under the guidance and support of an amazing staff. My perspectives changed and my idea of the world and people in it were altered. I was thrown into so many new situations, with new people who taught me more than I could have ever learned in a year of college. It was the unexpected conversations with people so different from myself and the new places so contrasting from where I grew up, that taught me the most. I began to learn how to live in community and what real community is supposed to look like. I learned how to respect and love people different than myself. And a huge thing I began to discover was where I belong in this enormous world and what my calling may be.

Kivu stands apart from other gap year programs because of the world class staff and the students that they draw in. They care about every individual that is a part of the program so deeply which I found to be so vital for growth this past year.
With Kivu you'll go to some pretty incredible places and do some pretty incredible things and for sure have some incredible memories. That said, the highlights of the year will be the people you meet along the way who will impact your life and journey! I would recommend this program to any individual who is open to being challenged in their faith, is willing to be pushed outside of your comfort zone and wants to experience a plethora of cultures and adventures!!

the KIVU gap year challenged me to be a better person, one who loves unconditionally and without borders. You learn to live in community with people who might not speak the same language, live in the same country or have similar background stories; you learn that you don't have to have things in common with people to form friendships, all you need to be is intentional. You learn to love God and love others the way Jesus spoke about, they way everyone should live. The program and the team did not force ideas on you about your faith but rather guided you and helped you explore your faith yourself. The internships you get placed with, no matter if they suit your interests or not, are incredible, through my internship in Philadelphia I unearthed my passion for international and special needs kids. You learn that being outside of your comfort zone is the best way to grow and learn more about yourself and the world around you. Gap year helped me grow in a multitude of ways, I have become a better student, I care more about school and my studies and realize the weight grades carry you through life. I have become a better family member and friend, really trying to be intentional with my loved ones. Even five months later, I am realizing things I learned on my gap year constantly. I would do gap year again in a heartbeat.

Take a gap year, you won't regret it! not once!!

While I lived in Rwanda I experienced a wall of culture shock, and struggled to move on. I was lonely and missing being home. However, thanks to my awesome KIVU leaders, they helped me take advantage of this time and use it for good by finding out more about myself and learn to thrive in my own personality. I learned to embrace the differences between me and others, but be able to enjoy new environments because of the hard questions about myself and my faith I was encouraged to answer while abroad. My leaders played a significant role in helping me get to this point by giving me guidance and helping me wrestle with these life altering questions.

The Kivu Gap year program is unlike anything you'll ever do. I was pushed out of my comfort zone in the most beautiful of ways, learned how to live in community and found friends who will be my people forever, and gained a better understanding of the world around me and where God can be found in everyday life. Wether it was in Urban America (I was in Denver), or the second semester of travel (living with a Rwandan host family, hiking Mt Kilimanjaro, exploring the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan, seeing the exact places Jesus performed his ministry, or swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines), I grew more as a person than I could have ever prepared for. The Kivu team took my peers and I into each location with no expectations, but rather the freedom to find our individuality within a global setting and explore our faith in a genuine and bold way. I learned how to make each moment in my life hold excitement and purpose, I learned that life isn't gonna be completely wonderful if I try to plan it myself, and that there is so much more out there than the American Dream. This program taught me how to immerse myself into cultures and be open minded, how to love the 'least of these' like Christ did, and how to live fully; any future travel or city living I'll experience has been made so much greater because of the things I learned at Kivu. I could go anywhere in the world (wether that be Europe or a classroom) with confidence and understanding, and this year has forever changed the way that I see the world and interact with others. I've grown more into myself and who God has called me to be. I've grown as a follower of Christ, as a student, as a sister and daughter, as a friend, and simply as a human being. It's now been a year since I ventured off on this journey, and I can genuinely say that as I'm now in college, I continue to learn things from my Gap Year every day. I'm so thankful for this program and for the way they take students out of their comfort zone and into the great big world.

Do Kivu Gap Year!! You won't regret it.