Variety is the Spice of Life…

… and that’s exactly what a “Gap Year” provides … to serve in a variety of different areas – whether the U.S., or in one of our international offices – and to experience the different flavors of the countries.

The Gap Year incorporates time spent in any combination of the following regions: U.S., Costa Rica, Spain, Guatemala, and Brazil … working onsite and side-by-side with the Push The Rock staff on a daily basis. Spending time in any of these areas allows you to see how sports ministry works in different cultures. The “spices” of ministry in the different countries offer a unique flavor from one country to the other.

Time Frame

There is no particular beginning or end date for a Gap Year. We can accommodate any start date and end date. However, we suggest a 10-month commitment. It is true that we are willing to be flexible with the length of this Gap Year, but that will be dependent upon the ebb and flow of ministry in each location.

There are several types of Gap Years; U.S., Costa Rica and Comprehensive.

US Gap Year

Typically a 10-12 month time frame, this will put you in the starting lineup for all of our programs including home school, after school, volleyball club and could include, but not limited to:

• Coaching at summer sports
• Planning for and running home school/after school programs
• Fundraising events
• Website updating
• Recruiting students and coaches on college campuses
• Playing on a basketball team within our prison ministry

Costa Rica Gap Year

Also a 10-12 month time frame, you would travel to Los Chiles, Costa Rica where you would live with a local family, become deeply involved in a local church, practicing Spanish, and discover the people and their country. You will even have a few opportunities to take a canopy tour, hang out on the beach, or hike the Arenal volcano, among other activities.

You will be involved in all types of activities, including, but not limited to:

• Planning for the weekly programming and special events
• Office administration duties (i.e., typing, filing and answering phone)
• Writing spiritual and sports curriculum for various programs
• Lead Bible studies in multiple prisons throughout the week
• Coach gym class and leading Bible study in schools and orphanages

Comprehensive Gap Year

As you can imagine, there are any combination of possible scenarios for your Comprehensive Gap Year, but to give you a few ideas of what it could look like for you:

SAMPLE 1

• USA: 4 months
• Brazil: 3 months
• Costa Rica: 3 months

SAMPLE 2

• USA: 4 months
• Guatemala: 3 months
• Costa Rica: 3 months

SAMPLE 3

• Costa Rica: 4 months
• Guatemala: 3 months
• Spain: 3 months

SAMPLE 4

• Costa Rica: 2 months
• USA: 2 months
• Guatemala: 2 months
• Brazil: 2 months
• Spain: 2 months

These are only ideas / samples of what you could do with your 10+ months with us.

TRAINING

To kick off the Gap Year, you would come to our international headquarters in Emmaus, PA.  Here, you will have a one-week training program, where you will spend time in cultural training, all things Push the Rock, including staff, vision, mission and core values, and the philosophy or ministry before heading off to your first destination, whether in the U.S., or one of our other locations..

COST

This fluctuates based on when and where you are headed. Once we nail down the locations and dates, we can build the budget for you – which includes, but is not limited to: airfare, food, lodging, transportation and insurance.

NEXT STEPS

Seeking the Lord for guidance and wisdom throughout this process is the right thing to do. If you sense that the Lord is leading you to serve with Push The Rock on the Gap Year, please submit an application. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to email us or give us a call. Once you have submitted an application we will begin the application process, which includes an initial phone interview and then a follow-up interview, either in person or again on the phone.