Global Citizen Year is an award-winning, non-profit social enterprise on a mission to make it normal to choose a bridge year; an experience after high school that builds self-awareness, global skills, and grit – the foundations for success in college and beyond.

Why They Are Here

The education system alone cannot prepare the young people to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.

The impact of tomorrow’s leaders depends on the quality of today’s education. And yet the standard educational path – focused on memorization, testing and college admissions – often stifles the most important learning. As the stakes get higher and the competition fiercer, ambitious students are scrambling for goals they don’t have time to question. In short, school is interfering with kids’ real education.

High school graduates are entering college underprepared, families are questioning their return on investment, and colleges are facing growing concerns about relevance. Today, anxiety and depression among college freshmen are at an all time high and America has the highest college dropout rate in the developed world. And for those who make it through, many emerge unable to meet the demands of today’s professional world and global economy.

Global Citizen Year exists to change this trajectory.

They can do better for their students by designing, delivering and normalizing a new educational path. A path that uses real world experience to unlock passion, potential and purpose. They believe that the best way to improve college outcomes is to change the inputs.

Each year they select a talented and diverse corps of Fellows and support them through a transformational bridge year after high school in communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Through world-class training and structured immersion they equip Fellows with global skills, empathy, and grit — the foundations for success in college, careers, and life. They envision a world where this bridge year becomes a common expectation and opportunity — transforming education and unleashing the potential of a new generation of global citizens.