Year Experience
32 weeks
$24,000
Step away from your everyday life, discover what’s important to you, and develop the skills and confidence you need to succeed in college and beyond.
Travel & Volunteer
throughout the US
Phase 1: 10 weeks
Break
Learn Habits & Skills
in San Francisco
Phase 2: 10 WEEKS
Break
Launch a Project
of Your Own
Phase 3: 12 WEEKS
10 weeks | ABROAD
Break
10 WEEKS | SAN FRANCISCO
Break
12 WEEKS | ANYWHERE
10 weeks | ABROAD
Break
10 WEEKS | SAN FRANCISCO
Break
12 WEEKS | ANYWHERE
PHASE 1
Start your year by volunteering domestically
EXPLORE: OCTOBER 5 - DECEMBER 11, 2020
Begin your Year Experience by setting out to one of our domestic destinations to volunteer and give back to a local community. Choose one of these sites to start your Explore phase: Florida, Montana, or Hawaii.
Where you'll go:
Florida, Montana, or Hawaii.
WHat you'll DO:
Live with peers, and work on a service learning project to contribute to the local community.
what you'll LEARN:
Be part of ongoing, sustained, and meaningful community projects, and connect with the people whose lives benefit from those efforts.
Choose a service learning project that excites you
Environmental Activism
Create educational materials that focus on anti-littering and anti-pollution
Education Support
Work alongside adults with disabilities in an intentional self-sustaining community
Animal Welfare
Support rehabilitation efforts in an accredited animal sanctuary
Political Activism
Volunteer on a local, state, or national campaign
Environmental Conservation
Raise awareness and build solutions to marine debris in coastal communities
Youth Advocacy
Provide extra-curricular activities for children in underserved communities
Environmental Activism
Create educational materials that focus on anti-littering and anti-pollution
Education Support
Work alongside adults with disabilities in an intentional self-sustaining community
Animal Welfare
Support rehabilitation efforts in an accredited animal sanctuary
Political Activism
Volunteer on a local, state, or national campaign
Environmental Conservation
Raise awareness and build solutions to marine debris in coastal communities
Youth Advocacy
Provide extra-curricular activities for children in underserved communities
PHASE 2
Then, head to San Francisco
FOCUS: January 10 - March 20, 2021
Live in San Francisco in our dorms, work in our co-working space in downtown SoMa, and explore the city by the bay. During this time you'll work with coaches and peers to help you gain a better sense of who you are and where you want to go, while developing the skills to get there. You'll also connect with our network of professional advisors who will help you prepare for what's next.
Where you'll go:
San Francisco
WHat you'll DO:
Work with a coach. Narrow your focus. Gain new skills.
what you'll LEARN:
Skills and habits to help to you find confidence, clarity and direction.
What will you do?
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Project-based learning
Learn by doing. Work on projects that you want to work on to help narrow down your interests.
REAL-WORLD SKILLS
Learn the skills they don't teach in school, such as time management, public speaking, and managing your finances.
Connect with professional advisors
Meet professionals who can help you learn more about your career aspirations.
Work with a coach
Have a coach with you every step of the way to help you build on your strengths and identify areas of improvement.
How one fellow spent HIS time in San francisco
Rory, 2015 Fellow
- 300+ hours working on his own startups
- 45 hours of marketing courses
- 96 hours of life skill workshops
- 10 hours of computer coding
- Received over 2,000 blog views
- Met 7 experts in his desired field
- Attended 13 professional and college events
- Wrote 7,000 words in his blog
PHASE 3
Finally, step out into the real world (with us)
LAUNCH: April 5 - June 18, 2021
Launch into the world, with the help of your coach. Use the skills you built during the Focus phase to launch a business or project, take a class, or get a part-time job or internship. The choice is yours.
Where you'll go:
Anywhere you want!
WHat you'll DO:
Build your portfolio. Score an internship. Apply for college.
what you'll LEARN:
How to apply the skills you've learned in the real world.
What our fellows do:
start a business
“At the end of the Focus phase, I launched a business called Zorm Ballz. The product was a really cool stress ball in which you could break the inside of the ball and then it would reform within a minute. During the Launch phase, I continued to work on Zorm Ballz full-time. The next steps were pivotal; I taught myself CAD, got myself a 3D printer, and the toys and games have been rolling out ever since! Right now I’m working on licensing some of my toys to larger companies, as well as starting my own toy company!”
Zach O. 2016 FELLOW
Zorm Ballz, Founder & Maker
San Francisco, CA
take a class
"During my time in Launch, I spent my time working on logos and packaging design while learning more about the startup and tech scene. For my internship, I needed some experience and something to focus on, instead of the broad spectrum of graphic design. So I found a bootcamp in Toronto called Brainstation. Brainstation’s full-time UX program is a 10 week immersive course in which students learn everything from the strategy and planning behind designing an app or website to the UI. We learned mainly by doing instead of listening to lectures. By the end of the program, we all presented our own app concept that we had created as our final project."
LAUREN M. 2017 FELLOW
Brainstation Bootcamp, UX Design
Toronto, ON
GET an INTErnship
"At Fjord, my initial job description was, 'Interaction and Service design Associate.' However, my in-house name transitioned to the Fjord Artist in Residence. I’ve had the opportunity to work with big clients—they’re impressive—and for the past three months I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by different designers, all of them great at what they do. I sit in on meetings with clients and I am starting to have a firmer understanding of design thinking—literally, the way designers think. Most importantly, I’ve been able to try different design roles within Fjord to see which one I really take a liking to."
ALLISON B. 2016 FELLOW
Fijord, Artist in Residence
San Francisco, CA
Program Dates
2020-2021
Phase 1: explore
October 5 - December 11, 2020
Phase 2: Focus
January 10 - Mar 20, 2021
Phase 3: LAUNCH
April 5 - June 18, 2021
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