Journey Gap Year
Leadership and Discipleship Through Adventure
Journey is an 8-month gap year internship designed to help young adults learn and experience what it means to embody the love of Jesus and become Christ-honoring leaders. As a student, you will face challenges in the wilderness, receive one-on-one discipleship, and travel for cultural experiences.
This community practices radical hospitality, loves audaciously, includes outsiders, trusts God's story, and partners with Him to put the world back together. Significant time is devoted to personal and spiritual growth, and students finish the program with deep friendships, a sense of identity, and proven leadership skills.
2024-2025 Important Dates
August 21st - Arrive at Bighorn
November 22nd (after 2pm) - Winter Break Begins, Depart from Bighorn
January 7th - Return to Bighorn
January 8th - Programming Resumes
April 17th - Journey Graduation
LIVE
Journey is a multi-generational, multicultural community that strives to follow Jesus and live out the Gospel.
Students live on site, share dorm rooms, and join the camp community while learning what it means to live in the Body of Christ. In Journey, this means staying active and balancing time between indoor and outdoor activities.
A Typical Day
8:00 AM - Breakfast
8:30 AM - Devotional
9:00 AM - Small Group Discussion / Meet with a Mentor
10:00 AM - Class / Bible Study / Discipleship Training
1:00 PM - Lunch
1:30 PM - Adventure Activity
6:00 PM - Dinner
Evenings - Family Nights, Games, Free time
Learn
Hands-on training is used throughout the program to help you build foundational skills and habits needed to lead a balanced life and serve in any context.
Apply NowPersonal Development
Step away from everyday life, establish an identity rooted in Jesus, and discover life-changing purpose. Students learn about personality types, individual strengths, and what it means to find an identity in Christ. Work alongside Bighorn staff members to develop a personal mission statement and identify your core values.
Spiritual Formation
Journey is a safe space where you are encouraged to ask hard questions and wrestle with doubts. Spend time with mature Christians learning how to read the Bible for yourself, establish Biblical foundations and understand God's unconditional love for you. Discipleship is a primary focus, and Journey students leave the program knowing how to talk about their faith and teach others to follow Jesus as well.
Adventure Leadership
Rock climbing, backpacking, white-water sports (rafting, paddle boarding, kayaking), ropes courses, zip lines, and other team-building activities will be used to develop both hard and soft skills. Some of these skills include understanding group dynamics, planning adventure experiences, risk management, adapting to cultural differences and guiding adventures. Students will also go through medical training courses to become certified in Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA).
Serve
Journey students will have many opportunities to serve at Camp Bighorn and in the local community, because great leaders practice humility and serve others. Where? You will lead adventures, serve in the kitchen, assist with operations, and run community events.
Apply NowAvailability
Name | Dates | Price | Availability | Registration |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 | Semester 1: August 21 - November 22January 8 - April 17 | $12,950 | Open | Register |
Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted until all 16 spaces are filled. Once you submit your application, a Journey staff member will reach out to schedule a meet-and-greet. This is your chance to ask questions and learn more about the leadership team. If the Journey Directors agree that this program fits for your personal goals, all that's left is to send in your deposit and reserve your space!
COST BREAKDOWN
Total Program Cost
$16,450
Work Study Credit
$3,500
Credit is given to ALL participants and buys down the total cost of Journey.
Total Payments (includes $1000 non-refundable deposit)
$12,950
A work study component is included to help participants buy down the cost of the program. This involves working during retreats, conferences, and so on. Beyond working off some of the costs, this provides essential service and ministry opportunities that align with the foundational elements of the program. Food service, operations, programming, office and facilities are some of the tasks and roles participants will be involved with.
The price for Journey 2024-2025 includes room and board, cost of adventure activities, global travel, and all trainings and certifications. Scholarships are available for summer staff alumni, recruiting a friend, and church matching. The $1000 non-refundable deposit is due upon acceptance into the program and will reserve your spot. After the deposit, the first semester balance of $5,950, plus a $1,000 deposit for second semester, is due by August 1, 2024; the second semester balance of $5,000 is due by January 5th, 2025. These payment deadlines are necessary to plan adventures, transportation, and other critical elements of the program. Early departure from the program may result in additional fees being assessed. All payments made according to the schedule above are non-refundable.
To receive a discount for paying in full by August 1st, please see Discounts below.
I was just sobering up from multiple things and my relationship with the Father was almost non-existent. The love, care and support I had from everyone at Bighorn was insurmountable. With God being soooo present at Camp Bighorn, it was so easy to let God take control and for me not to rely on my own strength.
I'm from Philadelphia, a noisy, crowded city. Bighorn was the perfect place of peace I needed to focus on the Lord. It was filled with people who truly loved the Lord and cared about relationship and community. Something I rarely experienced in my life.
It's in the small moments where the true impact of the Journey program is seen, heard, and felt because that is how Journey works. It's how it changes lives - in the daily acts of life, adventure, and devotion together.
Discounts
Early Bird
$500 for application acceptance and deposit paid by January 1st.
$250 for application acceptance and deposit paid by March 1st.
Church Matching
Up to $1,000 Church Matching Scholarship
Bighorn Alumni
$1,000 for Camp Bighorn Alumni
(Applies to Summer Staff who have worked at least one full Summer prior to attending Journey)
Full Payment by August 1st
Receive an additional 5% discount (up to $650) if your tuition is paid in full by August 1st. This discount will be applied after other Bighorn Discounts.