Treverton G.A.P. Year Post Matric Programme

Don’t be ordinary – be extra ordinary

We believe that you can conquer anything you like if you have the right attitude.

Be the best that you can be – unleash your potential and differentiate yourself by being part of this amazing program where continuous improvement, continuous self-assessment and lifelong learning is encouraged.

This aiming for “Personal Mastery” will position you for life in the VUCA (volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world where people need to adapt and position themselves for the rapidly changing work environment.

The Treverton G.A.P. post matriculation course equips its students with the right tools and processes to move forward boldly, building skills that enable them to be adaptable and comfortable in ambiguity and change.

The course provides opportunity for the new competences for the new world to be learned, practiced and honed.

By doing this training course, and accomplishing a realm of certificates, one can take away the following values, skills and competencies giving one the favorable advantage for their future world of study and/or work:

Lateral thinking
Bold decision makers
Ingenuity/ Problem solving
Maturity
Determination
Perseverance
Listening
Confidence
Courage
Self-control
Integrity
Resilience
Empathy
Responsibility
Learn and master new skills in a short space of time
Adaptable
Independence
Expanding personal comfort zones
Self –growth and development
Seeing the BIG picture
Self respect
Insightful
Value of collaborative skills – team player
Leadership skills
Team Management
Project management
Relationships / networking
Self management
Communication skills
Delegation skills
Spirituality
Health and wellness
Time management
Group facilitation
Respect for others
Respect for the environment
Risk assessment
Personal Financial management

Don't be ordinary - be extraordinary

At the end of formal schooling, young adults’ quest to “find self”, direction and their life purpose seems to peak as they consider “what next?”

The Treverton G.A.P. (Growth, Adventure and Preparation) post matric course offers the perfect and ideal platform where young adults can achieve this.

The course aims to empower young people to meet the challenges of a world of constant change.

At this pivotal time of a person’s development into adulthood G.A.P. gives vital input, training and experiences that helps an individual to discover more about themselves, the space to risk in order to learn/grow, to have an experience of a life time, fun, meet new people, make good friends for life, to explore new things, to discover hidden interests or talents, to develop their own leadership and management style; all leading to growth of the whole person.

It will be a year that the participant will never forget.

It is important to balance the spiritual, physical, mental and social aspects of one’s life. G.A.P. provides this space between school (which is not always balanced) and adult life of study, work and ... This balance in developing the entire person is crucial to lead a life of significance and success.

The three outcome foci are Growth, Adventure and Preparation:

Growth:
It is a year where vital life skills are learned
• Personal Leadership styles
• Business Communication
• Small Group Facilitation Training
• Event Planning and Project Management Training
• Management skill training
• Toastmasters.
• Personal Growth and Empowerment
• Responsibility for self - independence, self-regulation, time management, conflict resolution, assertiveness, delegation, public speaking, interconnectedness of people - networking, business writing
• Advanced First aid training
• Financial mastery course – JSE share trading, financial literacy, personal budgeting, interest and loans – management of debt, investing, vehicles of wealth creation for purpose of becoming financially free.
• DIY, basic maintenance
• Community service and outreach
• Spirituality
• Stewardship and responsible management of environment and limited natural resources
• Physical wellbeing - wellness course, nutrition and cooking skills training, fitness training program
• CV development and Career guidance
• Personality profile assessment
• Anagram - self leadership

Adventure:
Extreme adventure – this is not just for the adrenalin junkies but for anyone who wishes to live on edge or to tick off some "bucket list" items! Many things are done in one year that most people won’t do in their life time.

The adventure component is normally the biggest draw card for school-leavers. The idea of doing SCUBA Diving, Sky Diving, White Water Rafting and Ocean Sailing – to mention a few – appeals to anyone with an adventurous spirit. Aside from the fun involved, the G.A.P. student often learns a lot about themselves and discovers new courage, especially as they prepare to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft 5000 feet above the ground.

Preparation for life is the final component of our name.
In the last few years the twelve years of formal schooling have been changed several times and university failure and drop-out rates have increased substantially. A part of the problem is that young people are not adequately prepared for the ‘real world’ when they leave school anymore.
This part of our program is one of the most beneficial aspects as the G.A.P. students are required to practice all of the things that they are not accustomed to do. These include tidying their own rooms, keeping their living area presentable, buying their own food and preparing their own meals and doing their own washing up and laundry.

In addition to this, many of the skill training courses completed over the year are generic in that the skill can be applied in any chosen career, study path, family or social context.

The cumulative benefit of doing these many short training courses in the context of the Treverton G.A.P. year far outweighs that of someone merely signing up for the individual course on their own.

Why?
• The program is supervised by a qualified educationist who has over a decade of experience in supervising, mentoring and challenging young adults to achieve their best.
• It provides the “safe” space to succeed; even it means that one fails at first without the disastrous consequence of dropping out of varsity or being fired.
• The group living context provides opportunities to put skills learned into practice, e.g. conflict management “who didn’t do the washing?” and assertiveness training.
• The proximity to the school allows the G.A.P. students to test the leadership skills, provide their services as first aiders at sporting events, help plan and manage various events at the school.


A golden thread in in all that we do is LEADERSHIP

Leadership - Developing tomorrow's leaders today

We further develop the individuals skills of leadership whether self-leadership, leading the peer group or a group of younger learners.
Through the OP program and various seminars the G.A.P. students are given the opportunity to learn and put into practice various leadership styles and skills. The G.A.P. students leadership training takes ideas and skills from various top leadership training authors, including Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and John Maxwell’s leadership books; a look at generation leadership theories as well as small group facilitation skills training, and through observing and analysing other leaders themselves.

Crucial is today's complex world is the need for principled leadership and ability to function in a team, problem solving and having a creative flexible/ adaptive approach to meet new challenges.
We achieve this type of training by using adventure skills training and experience. It is here that consequence and risk is real. The ability to succeed in the natural environment and in adventure activities helps increase self-esteem and confidence which are transferable to any other life situation.

By stepping outside of our comfort zones we tend to be able to grow at an accelerated rate. The G.A.P. students are often required to extend themselves, not just during the extreme adventures but also through leadership of various small groups. It is here that they have to plan programs for the Grade 8 – 10’s for Outdoor Pursuits lessons and then to execute the plans. Their leadership experience culminates when they lead a group of Grade 10’s to the summit of the Drakensberg

Conclusion:
The Treverton G.A.P. Year Post Matric Course is an all-encompassing year that for the last 27 years has produced young men and women who are more prepared mentally and emotionally to take on the rigors of ‘real world.’ By attending the G.A.P. you will be a more rounded and focused individual with far more to offer with all the skills and experiences that you will have by the end of the year.


Here are some thoughts on why take a Gap year....


“Our young people are now among the most over-tested and measured in the world. Whether this amounts to them being cleverer than ever is debatable. After 13 years of constant assessment, some other kinds of experience cannot be anything but useful.” (Suzanne Moore, The Guardian, UK)

The idea that formal education has to be a sprint from age 5 to 21 seems to be changing where the gap year can provide young people with a break from the academic grind and an opportunity to learn what type of adult they want to be. Victor Luckerson (The Business Time - Read more: http://business.time.com/2012/10/05/gap-year-the-growing-appeal-of-not-going-right-to-college/#ixzz2JFJPprn0)

Sending a kid who’s not ready for college is like sending a kid who’s not feeling hungry to an all-you-can-eat buffet”, says Danielle Wood

She continues; “Princeton encourages it. Harvard’s a big fan, urging students to consider something that would make most parents cringe: The idea of putting off college for a year in favour of some much-needed downtime.

“A gap year does not mean that a student is doomed to remain degree-less forever. The anecdotal evidence from admissions officers across the country (USA) says very few (post-GAP students) actually drop off the college radar. Taking a gap year can actually make kids more focused and ready for the rigors of academic life.

“The reason behind higher education’s support of the gap year is clear: Better-prepared students mean higher completion rates. And it’s completion that matters” - from a financial point of view.

Some students also use the gap year as a way to bolster their CV’s, reapplying to universities with some post-high-school real-life experience. It’s not, however, a guarantee in terms of getting into university but I have certainly found the above points to be true from my post matric G.A.P. students’ experiences at university.

"Many speak of their year away as a 'life-altering' experience or a 'turning point.' Most feel that its full value can never be measured and will pay dividends the rest of their lives." Deans of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard University, William Fitzsimmons and Marlyn E. McGrath
Suzanne Moore (The Guardian, UK ) sums the GAP year up well; “It is the sense of life where not everything runs smoothly or predictably. Where risks have been taken, where things have not worked out, where books have been read for pleasure, where feelings have been felt, not graded, where we have ventured out of any comfort zone.

“Does this translate into salaries? I don't know and I don't care, experience has its own currency. To not see its value is to me to be very poorly educated.”

So should your child have a ‘gap year’ before tertiary education?