Global Citizen Year - Gap Year Program Brazil

Global Citizen Year is truly excellent at supporting fellows to the best of their ability. There's no uncertainty about where you are and who you are with. In this way, I always felt very safe and sure that if anything happened, they would be able to help me. The team leaders that I worked with were inspiring, hilarious, and incredibly caring. Sometimes the support was smothering, and the strict no alcohol rule was often frustrating. Sometimes non-emergency support was not very timely when fellows needed it. Often times, work placements were quite boring and did not know what to do with fellows. I had a fantastic homestay experience, but the same cannot be said for other fellows. Homestays can be very difficult, and GCY had a hard time finding new ones for fellows in a timely manner sometimes. All the same, every effort to help fellows engage in communities was made, and our bi-monthly "reconnects" were wonderful in their cultural and social immersion. If I could, I would absolutely do it again.

For seven months, I slept beside my suitcase. It was an experience intensified by a bed lined with borrowed sheets, strangers that knew each other very well, and a television that didn't speak my language. At eighteen, I was gathering valuable data for an environmental NGO in Brazil while living in the rural communities benefitted by its efficient cookstove project. I assisted on numerous tasks requiring a field perspective, meanwhile my principal function was administering data collection and entry. The responsibilities were tailored to overcome the challenges of a developing country; the insights they provided, concepts my books haven't quite managed to articulate in text.

I learned that to even begin contributing to a dent of positive change in someone else's life, you have to allow those you're serving to affect the same in yours. By way of my apprenticeship, I visited over two hundred homes and spoke to equally as many housewives. Women that not only in their words but in their actions exemplified strength. Their stories still encourage unconditional resilience in my own endeavors; an asset that far surpasses, in value and proportion, the benefits of my temporary presence in their kitchens.

My Global Citizen Year gave relevance to my ability of easily connecting with societies, cultures, and languages. And it provides that opportunity to all of its participants. (Whether you're working in a medical facility or a preschool classroom.) I'd recommend the experience to anyone! If when you disregard your doubts associated with you travel experience, the program's cost, and even your academic record, you're still passionate about becoming a participant: apply! You won't regret it.

My experience in Brazil was unlike anything I had imagined. That isn't to say that it was all rainbows and unicorns, but the daily barrage of new experiences helped to mold me in ways that I don't think would have happened otherwise.

I came into this program entirely convinced that I had a million useful things to offer the rest of the world by virtue of being well educated. I quickly learned that despite my education the world had much more to teach me than I had to teach it. But that's all very general, and not so useful to a potential applicant, so here's some information that will hopefully help you with your decision:

1) The people running this program care so much about their fellows. It was amazing how quickly I was able to bond with both the staff and with the fellows in my program. I'm still in touch with my team leader and a majority of the 16 fellows with whom I went to Brazil. This extends all the way up through the senior management, though obviously the relationships become less personal as they have more fellows to meet. I felt supported when I needed it, but the relationship with my supervisors was good enough that they knew when to set me off on my own, even if the water was a little choppy.

2) Freak out about the price, then calm down. They give unbelievable finantial aid. Seriously, I was amazed at the finantial package I was offered because unlike most packages from college, this one was actually something me and my family could afford.

3) Yes, it was damn scary to go off on my own. I'm so glad that I did. It has made the transition to college much easier than I expected because I learned to be largely self-sufficient over the program cycle that applying those skills in the college system seemed almost second-nature. What I liked was that we were given a lot of freedom after the first 5 weeks and this taught me how to have my schedule be self motivated instead of having someone "crack the whip" for me every day.

4) I worked for a collegiate chorus in the city of Curitiba where my duties were to help teach the music to my sections twice a week. Other than that I learned to make friends (in Portuguese) and started learning the practical aspects living in a large city. I started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with some friends I made in the city and I'm still practicing it today. I alao learned a lot about community leveraging and finding the "In" in my community. It was wonderful.

5) I have a lot more to say, but limited time, so if you are curious about anything that I or someone else has said, I am more than happy to talk. My email is poira233@newschool.edu and you can contact me there anytime.

This program supported me in an experience that changed my life. I lived in a costal town in Senegal while working in a health clinic. Although the program provides outlets in which to live in a new culture, impact a community, and much more, the best thing it do for me was push me to answer questions about who I am as an individual. I like to categorize the program as "safely drowning with a lifeguard on staff." This is to say that they allow fellows to fail and journey by themselves while also providing a safety and controlled environment. Another important note is that what really makes this program are the passionate people that participate in movement. From Global Citizen Year, I have formed friendships that I will have for life. Please consider this program!

I went into this program hoping to explore my interests in social business practices and make an impact on the community in which I was to live. I emerged with a newfound passion for public health and the understanding that any new community I work in will teach me far more than I could ever teach it.

I found myself engaging in organic, small-scale farming and food-production, shadowing a community health worker, and teaching English at the local school--three activities that hadn't even crossed my mind before arriving in Brazil.

It wasn't an easy transition--I confronted many moments of loneliness, confusion, and boredom--but it was those challenging moments that taught me the most.

The staff are all so passionate about what they do, and it shows. If you have an issue with a home stay or apprenticeship, they are quick to fix it. Not to mention they are all down-to-earth, quirky people!

The site they chose was so perfect for me. I lived right on the beach with an amazing family (little kids!). I was able to dabble in a lot of different apprenticeships, like health, education, and environment, so I had the opportunity to experience working in many sectors.

Global Citizen Year allowed me to meet some of the kindest and most thoughtful people I know. My apprenticeship and community were brilliant! I miss and reflect on my experiences daily. Training seminars were very informative and helpful in processing experiences while in country.