Global Citizen Year sees the world a bit differently.

Most people see high school graduation as a gateway to college. They see it as a gateway to the world.

Each year Global Citizen Year selects a group of highly talented and ambitious Fellows and sends them to Ecuador, India, Brazil and Senegal for a transformative bridge year.

Through a mixture of world-class training, structured immersion and a local apprenticeship, they support their Fellows as they embark on a transformative experience that provides an unparalleled opportunity to see the world and themselves through a dramatically different lens.

A Global Citizen Year is a bridge year (not a gap year) because this year is not as a gap but, rather, a launching pad to the rest of your life.

Living in new places, speaking new languages, and meeting like-minded peers, Fellows break down the empathy gap between "developing" and "developed," between "us"and "them." Their experiences bridge the distance between the classroom and the world, between standard grade level curriculums and things that could never be learned in a classroom. Things like what access to clean water and education can do for a host family, or what it means to broaden the traditional notion of material "development" to include happiness and well-being.

The majority of Fellows defer their college acceptance and transition directly to college after their Global Citizen Year. And, increasingly, leading colleges from Princeton and Harvard to Tufts, to Brown, to Middlebury encourage bridge years. In fact, they advocate taking a bridge year and in many cases offer financial aid to make it possible for their most promising students.

Global Citizen Year shares with Global Citizen a similar name and an identical vision of the world as a place full of both promise and solvable problems.

Extreme poverty can be eradicated within our lifetime. Now's your moment to be a part of the solution.

Are you a high school student wanting to change your world? Or do you know someone who is? Apply now.

Get involved in encouraging international experience by going to TAKE ACTION NOW and telling your story about how travel has shaped your world view.