Explanation

It is widely recognized that short periods of international service have lasting impacts on the world views, global engagement and vocational choices of young people. For instance, a large percentage of missioners in the Young Adult Service Corps, the program established by the 2000 General Convention that involves persons after college graduation, have gone on to ordained ministry and to other service vocations. The proposed Episcopal Gap Year Program would focus on young people who have completed high school and who are ages 18-23, which is the universally accepted age range for post-high school young adults discerning their path from high school to other vocational routes, which may or may not involve higher education. Given that some participants may be teenagers, supervision and monitoring requirements would be especially high. The Global Partnerships and Youth Ministries units of the Episcopal Church Center would collaborate in administering the program. The resolve concerning accessibility is prompted by the fact that the gap year option has been a tradition of affluent college-bound youth with a capacity to acquire a passport and travel visas. The Episcopal Church must also welcome those lacking affluence and documentation, as well as those discerning a path that may lead to vocations and employment sooner than higher education. After full project development, the program would be instituted on a pilot basis, with a probable enrollment of about six young people during the 2019-21 triennium. The substance of this resolution was included in Resolution A174 at the 2015 General Convention; it was passed by both houses, but funding was not included in the 2016-18 budget. This resolution is endorsed by the Board of Directors of the Global Episcopal Mission Network (GEMN).