For many people, taking a gap year before starting university feels right. After spending many years in education, the idea of jumping straight into higher education without a break can feel overwhelming.

A gap year before university gives you the opportunity to become a more grounded, self-aware version of yourself. At Project Trust, we see students who have spent time living independently go on to settle into university life more confidently. Navigating a new culture, managing your own time and delving into a foreign community all contribute to a greater sense of self. Think of it as, instead of taking a year out, you are investing a year in yourself.

A gap year abroad can also shape what you choose to study. Our Volunteers often leave for their international placement with a clear idea of what they want to study. The experience of volunteering abroad, however, can leave volunteers coming home with an entirely different passion to what they left with.

Take Lucy, who volunteered in Ghana with Project Trust in 2023/24 – her volunteering experience changed her focus, and she returned home with a new idea of what she wanted to study. In these cases, it’s better to have discovered this before university, rather than halfway through.

“My goals have changed – they’ve become bigger and clearer than they were before I left. My time in Ghana gave me a much stronger vision for my future, and several experiences there have genuinely shaped what I want to do next. I’m planning to study medicine at university, and while we were away we started a girls’ club focused on women’s health. Being able to teach and have open conversations about those topics was incredibly inspiring, and it made me realise that women’s health is something I’d love to focus on within medicine. I’d also love to bring my career back to Africa one day.”

That might sound great, but you may still be worried about having a university place when you’re home. Many UK universities offer deferred entry, meaning you can secure your place before your gap year begins. You leave knowing exactly where you’re headed upon return, which makes it easier to fully commit to your gap year abroad without the stress of coming back to the unknown.

By the time you complete a degree, you are older, more independent and often clearer on what you want from a year away. A post-university gap year abroad comes with a different kind of freedom and can be a brilliant bridge between study and the rest of your life.

Graduate schemes, jobs and further study will always be there when you are back. Taking the time to do a structured international gap year programme can be a valuable way to stand out when you reach this point. Employers often look favourably on applicants who have done something meaningful in the gap, particularly if it demonstrates initiative and global awareness. Jamie, who completed an overseas volunteering placement in Thailand with Project Trust, credits his experience abroad as a key factor in landing his first job. International volunteering for young people pays dividends long after the year is over.

University years also give you the opportunity to expand your network in a way that can be transformative when it comes to fundraising for your gap year abroad. By the time you graduate, you’ll have built a wide community of friends, course-mates, lecturers and perhaps part-time colleagues – people who believe in you and are likely to cheer you on and support you in hitting your fundraising target.

Alice, who volunteered in Thailand with Project Trust, found that heading into her placement post-university meant she could take her newly built skills and confidence directly into her year abroad. She had already had an experience of living independently, cooking for herself and navigating living somewhere new, so she was able to hit the ground running on her Volunteer year and really delve straight into teaching at her placement.

The One Thing Both Paths Have in Common

No matter what point in life you choose to go, the thing that will define your gap year is the intention. A year spent genuinely immersing yourself in a community and doing meaningful work will both challenge and change you. At Project Trust, we offer structured overseas volunteering placements, currently across Asia, Africa and the Americas. These are designed to give young people the skills, perspective and confidence that last a lifetime, whenever they choose to go.

So, should you take a gap year before or after university? The only wrong answer is letting the question stop you from going at all.

Learn more about Volunteering with us here.

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Callum’s love for football was born in the back garden, playing with his two older brothers. After moving to Scotland in 2010, he joined a club to learn the basics, and by age six, he was proudly standing between the posts as a goalkeeper. For seven years, he dedicated himself to his first team, where football was both a passion and a source of stability.

A pivotal moment came when he was scouted by a more competitive team after impressing a coach during a school match.  Callum made the leap, encouraged by supportive coaches and his proven skills on the pitch. This transition marked his first lesson in stepping out of his comfort zone, a theme that would echo throughout his journey.

In 2021, Callum faced a period of instability, moving between two teams in just six months. The uncertainty led him to question his future in football. However, a teammate introduced him to refereeing, and in October 2022, Callum officiated his first match. Instantly, he was hooked. Refereeing not only kept him connected to the sport he loved but also provided a newfound sense of purpose and ability to earn a wage from what he loved.

Yet, football had more trials in store. In 2023, after struggling with limited playtime in a new under-20s team, Callum faced an even greater setback, he dislocated his shoulder just 10 minutes into the match. The injury left him feeling helpless, unable to play or referee, the very activities that had kept his passion for the sport alive. Callum was told that if he didn’t have surgery to stabilise his shoulder he would never play football again.

The road to recovery was both physical and mental. Surgery was inevitable, and Callum approached it with determination, knowing it was the key to reclaiming his passion. Though the recovery sidelined him from refereeing temporarily, his resilience never wavered.

Arriving in Ghana marked a turning point. Eager to reconnect with football, Callum quickly found a new home with the Kickers, a local team that welcomed him with open arms. Back on the pitch, he rediscovered not just his skills but also his strength and confidence in the sport. A fun fact about his new team, Kickers FC, is that one of their former players, Terry Yegbe, was born in their town Akatsi, represented the Kickers in his youth, and is now playing internationally for Ghana.

The friendships he’s formed and the mentorship from his Coach Alex, fondly known as ‘The Don’ have been instrumental in his journey.

Below: (Left) Callum with his country group

(Right) and with Coach Alex on the left.

Callum’s story is more than just a tale of sports and setbacks. It’s a testament to the transformative power of volunteering with Project Trust. Through his year in Ghana so far, he’s not only rebuilt his relationship with football but also rediscovered parts of himself he thought were lost. His journey shows that sometimes, stepping away from the familiar and immersing yourself in a new environment can be the most profound path to personal growth and empowerment.

Find our more about Volunteering in Ghana here

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“Martha Recently returned from 11 months teaching in Ghana  with Project Trust. Her life has given me two emotional highlights. Her birth 19 years ago and then just a few weeks ago, when I was happy that she was sad.

It was her final week in Ghana, saying her goodbyes to the  people, places, habits and emotions which had made it a home. Once left, it would never be the same. The bricks, mortar, tin roof, dusty yard, shady trees, and so many friends will still be there if (when!) she returns.

Her sadness lay in the  thought of losing that intangible magic which makes a place home. True sadness can only exist once we have known true joy, and loss is so often a place from which growth begins. What Martha left behind in Ghana is not lost. It is a web of memories, of moments, of joy, now embedded in her as she continues to grow.

Having seen her there allowed me to be happy when I knew she was so sad, and to love that she had found a place which was home to her, but not to us. The most primal parental instinct is to protect their child, yet the strongest need of a child is to grow and develop the skills and resilience required to survive without the parental protection. Somewhere, sometime, somehow us parents need to learn to let go.

Whilst in Ghana, Eddy took portraits of the young people at the School. Martha then printed these out and one was given to each participant, many of whom had never had a printed photo of themselves.

Letting go is so hard, but indefinitely easier when there is a safety net. From day 1 we had the utmost trust in Project Trust to provide essential support but hadn’t anticipated how that solid foundation might nurture multiple safety nets. Lucy and Romilly, Martha’s project partners, have been soul mates beyond extraordinaire, and the wider group of Ghana PT Volunteers have been a fantastic and supportive network of friends, travel companions and social media commentators, keeping us connect to a home which isn’t ours. Our gratitude to that big gang, to those nets which enabled us to give the hardest gift and to let go, is endless!”

Ghana Volunteers at Heathrow upon their return to the UK in August 2024 (left) and at departure in 2023 (right).

Find out more about Volunteering in Ghana here.

The post A Year in Ghana – A Parent’s Perspective appeared first on Project Trust.

What has been your biggest learning over the past 12 months?

My biggest learning was to not rely on anyone else or bigger longer-term goals for my happiness and to instead take things more slowly, making the most of living day to day and celebrating the smaller successes. While trying not to worry about the problems in the future to which I currently had no available solution. The Ghanaian idea of ‘small-small’ means you are getting a tiny bit better each time, and I think this idea is very helpful, and important to not focus on negatives or things that are uncertain about the future.

Who inspired you the most during your placement?

Sir Issac was my biggest inspiration. Despite being the second oldest teacher (probably around 39), he advocated vehemently the reforming and modernisation of the curriculum and the traditional school activities. He was the main coordinator and quizmaster for the exciting initiative of an intellectual quiz competition, which encouraged younger and gifted children to learn and be rewarded (for which I was the assistant quizmaster). All the children he teaches greatly respect him, alongside his colleagues.     

What was the best thing at Debriefing?

I found debriefing important and cathartic for helping me process what had happened. The most important if not purely enjoyable activity was carefully listening to a mixed group of Volunteers talking about their perceived impact and the way their experiences had impacted them. Then I took my turn to stand up in front of everyone and reflect on my experience.

It was cathartic and positive as it felt as if all of us could relate to and at least partially understand each other’s challenges- hence it made me feel better and a lot less isolated in what you went through. Also, the range of feedback given throughout debriefing, covering the entire gap year journey from selection and recruitment to returning, was vital for Project Trust. It also shows how much the current Volunteers genuinely care about the experience that future Volunteers get and who hopefully will be taking this same journey.  

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Even though my time volunteering is slowly coming to an end, I want to share the amazing experiences I have had over the past 7 months.

Anyako Kpota is a very small town which is located in the Volta Region of Ghana. Anyako (the main town) is located on the island which is in the Keta Lagoon. We are based only a 15 minute walk away from Anyako and a few minutes walk away from the lagoon (we get a lovely breeze so are not suffering too badly from the heat!). Our school is only a 2 minute walk from the house and compared to other schools, it looks very big. We have the Basic School (which contains Kindergarten, Primary and JHS – Junior High School) and then we also have the Senior High School (equivalent to Sixth Form or College). I teach JHS 1 which contains 24 students with ages ranging from 12 to 20. I also teach JHS 2 which contains over 50 students and are between the ages of 13 and 22!

The subject I teach is Career Technology and it is certainly a challenging subject to teach. Career technology is a mix of life skills, science, home economics and business (it certainly covers a wide variety of different topics).

Despite being very busy with teaching and writing exams, I have had a chance to explore many different regions in Ghana. Some of the places I have been lucky enough to experience is Accra (the Capital city), Ho (the capital of the Volta Region), Tamale, Kumasi, Mole and also all the way across the coast to Busua. Even though every different area of Ghana has its own attributes, I have noticed that Ghana as a whole is such a warm-hearted country. Everywhere I have been to, everyone has been so welcoming and helpful even when we do not know them! This is something I am definitely going to miss.

The last 7 months have definitely been an emotional rollercoaster but I have had the best experience of my life! The initial month in Ghana was such a culture shock but I was too excited about starting to teach and explore a different country. Personally, I found Christmas time the hardest as I had been in Ghana for a fair amount of time and was starting to miss home. However, home was only a phone call away and I was able to talk to the other volunteers if I needed to. This start of this year has flown by and it will not be long till I have finished my journey in Ghana.

Between all the teaching and travelling, I have also been able to help with netball at the school. We have a full sized netball/basketball course that is well used! I have been sharing my journey on both Instagram and Facebook so people who have supported me throughout my Project Trust journey and also people who are thinking of volunteering, can gain a deeper insight on my experience. Recently, I started up a blog where I am going to share more about my day-to-day life; it is going to take a lot of work as I have only a few posts but it is a start!

Keep up with Abbie’s adventures here: Abbies Volunteering Year in Ghana (site123.me)

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They are currently volunteering in Ghana, and both are living in the Volta region, In a small town called ‘Akatsi’. Chloe is teaching English and Ella is teaching Maths in a basic school. Monday – Friday.

“Our alarms go off at 6am and we often get up and sweep the compound outside the house. Some days are definitely harder to get out of bed than others.  It’s tradition that the women especially must do so before anything else. We sweep the sand, to make the compound look clean and tidy. We have a small gas container so often put some water in the pot to heat up so that we can have a tea on our walk to school. We like to walk to school in the morning, as it’s the only time that the heat is bearable to walk in. On our walk, we often pick up a local Ghanaian breakfast, the lady expects us most mornings!  Our students line up under the tree for assembly each morning and sing a few songs before starting lessons at 8am. We often finish the songs with a prayer…. Lovely start to the day! Primary school tends to work per level rather than age. You start school, when you can afford to do so however as of 2017 our school changed to a government school, which is one of the very few schools around our town, that is free. We are teaching primary six, age ranged from around 11-17. We have a timetable and teach one lesson a day. However, in-between we often help in other classes. While we aren’t teaching, we plan our lessons, read our books, or write a diary. Break and lunch time is always fun! Although it’s very hot, we often play with the children. We’ve taught them a numerous amount of team games such as, rounders, capture the flag, football, table tennis, skipping etc. When we first came to the school, it had no P.E equipment whatsoever. We have introduced a library lesson to our school. The children are growing and learning more each day. We found that their facts were always pretty good however their creative writing skills were what needing improved. This was purely due to lack of reading, not having the chance to have seen a movie etc. As well as teaching English, during the week we have been asked to do P.S.E and on a Friday we are the dedicated P.E teachers. We often eat the local Ghanaian dishes while at school. When you are eating, it is expected that you “Invite” the other teachers to join. We finish teaching around 2pm. Everyday, we go to a little stall to get a fanIce, which is a lovely ice lolly to cool us down! Depending on the temperature, we then decided if we are walking or taking a transport home. As you walk the streets, everyone will greet you. Everyone you pass, will welcome you. We have never met a friendlier community. Before coming to Ghana, we felt scared of my safety but actually we haven’t once felt unsafe in our community. The locals look out for you, more than we could ever imagine. They all treat us as if we are their own family. 

Once we are home, we often cook lunch and sometimes we cook for the children in our community if their parents are not home. Some days, we head out around 4pm with the children in the community and play games with them at the local “Football pitch” – sand pitch.  Although, some days we are very tired due to the heat, and we will come home and sleep for a few hours and just rest! Each day tends to be different. We cook around 6pm, as we often try and have an early night before a busy day the next day.”

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