A Note From Denver Gap Year’s Founder and Director:
G42 Leadership Academy in Mijas, Spain is a partner we are very proud to have. We believe strongly that participants will have a life transforming experience while there. But we also understand that most people are not familiar with G42 and therefore might not understand why it is a part of the Denver Gap Year program. This document will help give more context into how they became a partner of ours and why we believe it adds value to our participants gap year.
I have a long history with G42 and its leadership. I attended G42 in 2011 and worked for them on another gap year from 2012 - 2015. The founder, Andrew Shearman, has been a mentor of mine for a long time and was one of the men to lead my ordination in 2015. Two of our staff members graduated from G42 in the past couple years. I am also active in a local G42 alumni chapter in Denver. And leaders from the G42 network will come to teach at Denver Gap Year. This is not to say that Denver Gap Year is operated by G42 but to illustrate the important ties and relationships we have to G42.
I have experienced and witnessed first hand the effect G42 has on lives for the better. I have personally known its leadership and can attest to their character and genuine intimacy with God. The combined ministry experience of staff and visiting teachers totals in the hundreds of years and the variation of fields they come is as wide as you can find. Their community in Mijas, personal discipleship model and classes based off of impartation over information is among the most unique in Christianity.
It’s hard to explain what God is doing in people’s lives at G42 without actually being there. (For example, I’ve seen people go to visit for a week then decide to enroll in the program.) Which is why I believe it is so valuable for our participants to physically spend time at their location in Mijas, Spain. Even one week in that beautiful Spanish village overlooking the Meditereanean holds life changing potential.
Our schedule while there will be somewhat similar to our schedule in Denver. Participants will sit in on classes and eat dinners with the G42 community. (Subject matter and name of teacher(s) for the week will be announced as we approach closer to the date.) They will have the opportunity to meet with G42 Leadership and learn from current interns. Numerous hiking trails originate in Mijas and a 15 minute bus ride connects to the beach. Potential day trips to Spain’s 3rd largest city (Malaga, Spain), Seville or Gibraltar are possible as well. Free time can be spent exploring Mijas charming cobblestone streets, numerous restaurants and quaint cafes.
Combined with a week spent walking a section of the famous pilgrimage route ‘Camino de Santiago’ participants two weeks in Spain promises to be powerful, life changing and unforgettable.
If you would like to know more about the history, beliefs and culture of the G42 Leadership Academy please click here or reach out to us with any questions you might have.
Nate Evans
Founder and Director of Denver Gap Year