Gap Year USA Resources

UCARE
The Ursinus Center for Advocacy, Responsibility and Engagement , presently located in Lower Wismer, promotes civic and social engagement in our community. The Career and Professional Development office and UCARE work collaboratively to serve students and share resources on post-graduate service opportunities. Be sure to seek assistance in both the Career and Professional Development Office and UCARE

Americorps*VISTA
VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more.

Camphill Soltane
Co-workers at Camphill Soltane help to support the students and community residents with disabilities, and contribute towards keeping the community moving ahead, whole, and energized. Training, room and board, basic medical insurance and modest monthly stipends are provided.

Center for California Studies, Capital Fellows Program
The Capital Fellows Programs provide an opportunity to engage in public service and prepare for future careers, while actively contributing to the development and implementation of public policy in California. Fellows in each program work for 11 months, receive health benefits and a monthly stipend of $1972 and are employees of Sacramento State. They work as full-time members of a legislative, executive, or judicial branch office, and are typically given assignments with a significant amount of responsibility and challenges. Fellows also enroll as graduate students at Sacramento State and receive graduate units from the Sacramento State Government Department or Public Policy and Administration Program. The enrollment fees are paid by the programs.

City Hall Fellows
Fellows are placed in full-time positions in a single municipal office during their service year. Fellows work 4.5 days/week as special project assistants for a senior-level city administrator or official. Placements give Fellows the opportunity to work on high-level municipal initiatives that are important to the mission of the host agency and/or the City. Fellows receive training, a living stipend, health insurance, and access to the alumni network. Fellows are expected to complete a related service project and participate in the Civic Leadership Development Training Program.

City Year
City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors, and role models, these idealistic leaders make a difference in the lives of children, and transform schools and neighborhoods in 18 U.S. locations and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Congressional Hunger Center, Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship T
his year-long leadership development program is designed to train emerging leaders in the fight against hunger in the U.S. Fellows will spend half of their time working with urban and rural community-based organizations. The second half of their service will take place in Washington DC working for national organizations involved in ant-hunger movement. Fellows are provided with training, health insurance, living stipend, end of service cash award, and housing/housing stipend.

Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs T
he Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a full-time, nine month, graduate-level experiential leadership training program that prepares diverse, intelligent and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public affairs arena. The Fellows Program is offered in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and St. Louis.

Conservation and Land Management Internship Program
Each year, we place 75-100 biologists and graduates from universities across the country in five-month paid CLM internships to assist professional staff at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and other federal agencies. Internships are primarily located in one of the thirteen western states, including Alaska.

These internships involve work in botany or wildlife-related fields, or combinations that may include monitoring or assessing threatened and endangered species and habitats.

Delaying the Real World
Congratulations—you’ve finished school. But if you’re not sure you’re ready to settle down into an office environment, Delaying the Real World is chock-full of creative ideas and practical information that will help you craft your own life-changing adventure.

El Pomar Fellowship This two year program provides a hands-on experience that combines on-the-job training with a solid background in leadership theory. Fellows learn everything from marketing and development to management and leadership. The first year professional development curriculum is comprised primarily of classroom-style learning, while the second year focus is on hands-on application of principles and theories learned in the first year.

Echoing Green Fellowship
Through the two-year Echoing Green Fellowship program, start-up capital and technical assistance to help new leaders launch their organizations and build capacity is provided. Included in this fellowship: a grant of $60,000 for individuals ($90,000 for 2-person partnerships) paid in four equal installments over two years; a health insurance stipend; a yearly professional development stipend; conferences led by organizational development experts; access to technical support and pro bono partnerships to help grow your organization; a community of like-minded social entrepreneurs and public service leaders, including the Echoing Green network of nearly 500 alumni working all over the world.

Ensemble Connect
A program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—is a two-year fellowship program for the finest young professional musicians designed to develop the artistic values and skills necessary for careers that combine musical excellence with education, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership. The program provides ongoing professional development and opportunities to perform and teach in concert halls, public schools, college campuses, and throughout local communities.

Health Corps Recent college graduates become HealthCorps “Coordinators” for two years and defer medical school or graduate health program studies to peer-mentor as public service. Coordinator becomes a full-time advocate for each HealthCorps site. Each Coordinator works with each individual school site to develop a tailored edition of HealthCorps to meet the needs of the school community. HealthCorps provides a salary-based position, health insurance, travel stipend, and an educational reward at the end of two years of service.

Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship Supported by a stipend, the Fellows serve as full-time junior staff members at the participating Washington DC based organization of their choice. The 6 month program also arranges meetings for the Fellows with policy experts.

Idealist.org
List of one year service programs.

Indiana State Government, Governor’s Fellowship Program Participants in this program will serve in various Indiana State agencies on a rotating basis over the course of twelve months. Fellows participate in the daily activities of State government, complete special projects, travel to observe how work in the Capitol translates into action throughout the State, and experience firsthand how policy is made. Governor’s Fellows work in a variety of settings including the Governor’s Office, Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Office of Management and Budget, the Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Environmental Management, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Administration, Department of Homeland Security and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, to name a few.

Julliard School Professional Apprentice Program
The apprentice program is a practical “hands-on” experience working directly with technicians and administrators in their respective fields. Technical Theater internships are offered in Costumes, Electrics, Props, Scene Painting, Stage Management, and Wigs and Makeup. Technical theater apprenticeships are offered in Costumes, Wig & Makeup, Electrics, Props, Scene Painting, Stage Management, and Technical Direction. The program is a 9 month, full-time commitment.

Musician Corps, Music National Service MusicianCorps increases youth achievement and leadership by expanding access to music education. In exchange for 1-2 years of service, MusicianCorps Fellows receive a living stipend, health care and training. Key program components include: National Summer Training Camp, 10-month term of direct service, national assessment and impact evaluation, and a year-end gathering.

New York City Urban Fellows Program
The Urban Fellows Program is a nine-month fellowship which combines work in Mayoral offices and City agencies with an intensive seminar series that explores current urban issues impacting public policy. Fellows receive a stipend and health insurance coverage.

New Sector Residency in Social Enterprise (RISE)
New Sector Alliance is a nonprofit strategy consulting firm located in Boston. RISE gives recent college graduates the opportunity to lead a strategic initiative for a Boston nonprofit organization over the course of one year.

Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Legislative Fellowship Program
The Legislative Service Commission sponsors twenty-four paid thirteen-month legislative fellowships designed to provide college graduates with practical experience in the legislative process.

 

Public Allies
The Ally program is a full-time paid apprenticeship in a nonprofit organization in your community where you serve four days per week to create, improve and expand services that address diverse issues, including youth development, education, public health, economic development and the environment.

Pulse
PULSE cultivates a community of young servant leaders to transform Pittsburgh.  We invite talented university graduates to partner with Pittsburgh nonprofits for a year of service and leadership.

Samuel Huntington Public Service AwardThe Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a $10,000 stipend for a graduating college senior to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.

Servenet.org
Mobilizes and empowers the volunteer service community to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing local communities. Servenet.org has enabled millions of youth volunteers to connect with local nonprofits to make a difference in communities throughout America.

Service Year
A service year is a paid opportunity to develop real-world skills through hands-on service.  You create a profile and you are matched with service year opportunities that interest you.  You can tell the organization “I’m interested”, and they’ll get a notification about your interest in their service year position. 

Short-Term Job Adventures
Are you looking for opportunities to work, travel, play, learn, help, create, experience and grow in the U.S. or worldwide? Short-Term Job Adventures is simply about discovering life’s options and finding your place in the world (and that’s real exciting stuff).

Sonoma County Economic Development Board, Program Development Internship The Program Development Intern will be responsible for developing and managing programs that support the local economic and employment bases. Work includes researching, surveying, and developing new programs, reports, and databases on Sonoma County’s various economic sectors, the development and management of countywide projects and events. Internships are available in the categories of Political Science/Politics, Economic Development, Economics, Government, Management, Business, Public Administration, Public Policy, and Research.

The Gap Year General Resource for Volunteering, traveling and find work abroad.

The Red Cross Humanitarian organization to protect human life and health, many different types of opportunities.

U.S. PIRG Fellowships The goal of the U.S. PIRG Fellowship Program is to develop recent college graduates into leaders in the movement for positive social change. Through the program, fellows get the chance to work on issues from reforming health care to securing America’s financial future. Fellows gain the hands-on experience it takes to organize public support. Fellows build expertise on an important issue, such as transportation solutions, health care reform, or toxic pollution cleanup. Fellows conduct research, craft policy solutions, act as a spokesperson to the media, build coalitions, write grants, and recruit activists and members.