Member of Gap Year Association

American Gap Association

Gap at Glen Brook - Fall Semester

Gap at Glen Brook is a place-based semester program for 18-21 year-olds, nestled on a working farm in rural New England. Our eleven weeks of outdoor, experiential learning focus on developing practical skills to create sustainable lives and communities. Live with a close-knit cohort of peers, work on a sustainable farm, journey through wild places, learn to preserve the fall harvest, and dive into handcrafts like fiber arts and woodworking. Join us for our fall semester and learn by doing!

Participants can receive up to eight transferrable credits through our accreditation by the Gap Year Association (GYA) and their partnership with University of Montana.

Gap at Glen Brook

Sales Wolves

Founded in 2015, Gap at Glen Brook empowers young adults to create sustainable lives and resilient communities. We work toward this mission through place-based, experiential learning rooted in sustainable farming, homesteading skills, nature connection, intentional community, and self-inquiry. 

We offer an 11-week fall semester program at our year-round farm and outdoor education center, a 250-acre farm and forest property in the heart of southern New Hampshire. The core of our curriculum is exploring the core concepts of sustainability through the lens of practical skills. Living in a close-knit cohort in a historic farmhouse, Gappers work on the farm, go on wilderness trips, learn handicrafts and DIY skills, and experience exploring their identity within the community.

Founded in 2015, Gap at Glen Brook empowers young adults to create sustainable lives and resilient communities. We work toward this mission through place-based, experiential learning rooted in sustainable farming, homesteading skills, nature connection, intentional community, and self-inquiry. 

We offer an 11-week fall semester program at our year-round farm and outdoor education center, a 250-...

Transplanting seedlings in the greenhouse

I gained loads of confidence.

The most wonderful 3 months!

United States

Gap Year

If you want to do it, do it. Gap at Glenbrook was exactly the experience I was searching for during my gap year. I wanted to garden, work with animals, learn herbalism, explore nature, and become a better cook and I did that and a ton more. Everyone at Glenbrook is a teacher and a supporter. I felt like I learned something new in almost every conversation I had. For me, Gap at Glenbrook wasn’t just a lesson about community and nature, but about love. Specifically the love we share platonically for our friends, mentors, and for the Earth.
The staff at Glenbrook are really great. I always felt safe around them, and they’re all easy to talk too. The other gappers and I loved getting to spend time with them. Electives week was a ton of fun too because almost every staffer led an elective. In the Hill House I formed close connections with my fellow gappers. The friendships that I came out with will stay with me for the rest of my life. 
Gap at Glenbrook also taught me a lot about me. I have some health issues and was worried about getting picked on or teased for not being able to carry my slack, but the staff and fellow gappers just cheered me on at every turn. When we hiked Mt. Manadonack I remember making my way down the path, seeing an obstacle, and going “Oh. No way in hell can I do that,” but then I’d just do it. As time went on in the program I met new challenges; in communal living, physical labor, and living outdoors, but I learned to have faith in myself. I learned that I am so much more capable than people have told me. I also learned that going on camping trips and being alone in the woods isn’t as hard as people make it sound. Especially people who haven’t done it before. So, if you’re scared but you want to do it, do it. It’s a big leap and a ton of fun. I was the happiest I’d been in awhile at Gap at Glenbrook. 
My one tip: buy yourself a sleeping for the winter. It makes a huge difference! Also a mattress topper doesn’t hurt either.

During this 3 month program at Glen Brook, I learned a plethora of new information and life lessons that have been incredibly valuable as I've continued along my gap year. Through working on the organic biodynamic farm, I gained knowledge on growing your own food and the processes of sustainable agriculture. During challenging wilderness trips, I learned how to endure physically demanding yet rewarding adventures and obtained skills on living in the woods. The workshops that I completed taught me a wide range of new knowledge from eco-philosophy to decolonization work to making homemade sourdough bread. The staff at Glen Brook are some of the most compassionate, intelligent, conscious people I've met. They facilitated and supported the cohort while allowing room for us to grow as individuals and together as a group. Glen Brook truly is a pocket of paradise set in the monadnock region of New Hampshire and I'm incredibly grateful to have been able to live there for 3 months.

Learn about Gap at Glen Brook! Browse program options, read reviews and interviews, view photos, and apply to go abroad with Gap at Glen Brook.

Gap at Glen Brook

About Gap at Glen Brook

Gap at Glen Brook Reviews

Gap at Glen Brook Programs

5

Contact Gap at Glen Brook

Which program are you interested in?

Recognitions & Awards

We're here to help!