The Grand Canyon
What is Walkabout Gap Year?
More Than an Extended Adventure Camp—Our Program Prepares Students for God's Purposes
Walkabout is a discipleship-based Gap Year program that aims to bring together college-age students who are passionate about Christ, the outdoors, and intentional living. Rooted in discipleship, outdoor adventure, and service, students will see what a ministry-focused lifestyle looks like, all while going on epic adventures throughout the desert southwest.
Camp Eagle's Walkabout Gap Year is all about growth. Growth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The program is designed to put the world in the perspective of a disciple. These 9 months are a challenging commitment that inspires courage for the future as a follower of Christ. Students will engage in the equivalent of 12 hours of accredited Bible classes, taught on-site by two teaching pastors. In our Gap Year program students will live, study, serve, and grow in an intentional community of ministry professionals where they can learn what it means to live authentically for Jesus.
Adventure Trips
Wilderness expeditions provide a foundation for learning and application. Expect epic hikes, scenic environments, and thrilling multi-sport adventures. The low cost of the Walkabout Gap Year program covers the cost of these once-in-a-lifetime trips.
Month-by-Month Trip Breakdown:
- August - Camp Eagle Backcountry Trail Trip
- September - Backpacking in the San Juan National Forest
- October - Rock climbing at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
- December - Multi-Sport trip in Big Bend National Park
- January - Multi-Spot Road Trip across the Desert Southwest
- February - Mission Trip (location TBD)
- March - Kayaking trip on the South Pecos River - full 60
- April - World religions trip to Austin, Tx.
- May - Debrief Trip (surprise location)
*trip locations and timelines subject to change
Practical Application Through Study
Walkabout is a place where the seeds of Sunday school, Christian education, youth group, high school mission trips, church attendance, weeks of church camp, and other previous Christ-inspired experiences are cultivated and cared for as students move from adolescence into adulthood.
We will take what has been planted and encourage it to grow and bear fruit in the lives of students and their peers.
Walkabout Gap Year strives to be a place of good soil, being:
- A place where students can confess
- A place where students hear the word of truth on a daily basis (the Bible)
- A place where students live missionally in service to the gospel and people
- A place where staff believe in gospel transformation
- And a place where students meet Jesus, through the work of his body, the Holy Spirit, and the study and application of his word.
Students will:
- Gain a foundational understanding of their identity in Christ (the reality of the gospel), in the midst of their society and historical context.
- Students will find help crossing the threshold from adolescence to adulthood from Christian guides and mentors wrestling with the reality of the Christian faith and what it means for their existence.
- Students will live an examined life, being aware of the content they are consuming through media, advertising, pop culture, and literature.
- Students will learn to practice agency in contrast to apathy, and true tolerance instead of relativism, and to find value, trust, and grace in the embodied Christian community.
- Students will learn how to study, interpret, and apply what they read in the Bible.
- Our goal is to address subjects relevant to the current generation while also spurring a vibrant relationship with Christ by studying and understanding his word. By reading it and applying it in unique as well as mundane situations.
- Become aware of the challenges facing a Christian in a post-Christian world and be able to genuinely understand other beliefs in order to build authentic relationships and share biblical truth (Sire, 17).
Walkabout Gap Year Students can also earn up to 12 accredited college credits through our partnership with Colorado Christian University.
Current courses include:
- Introduction to Studying the Bible
- Spiritual Formations
- Bible Doctrine
- World Views and Religions
Weekly Bible studies led by Camp Eagle staff, life skill classes, high-ropes course training, and a lifeguard certification round out the education that Walkabout students receive through the program.
Student Service = Ministry Training
You'll serve alongside full-time staff to serve retreat guests during the non-summer months. Service allows you to experience what camp ministry is like while gaining valuable ministry training. You'll bond with our staff, grow, and put what you learn into practice. You’ll be better equipped to engage in ministry wherever God puts you next.
Service activities include:
- Running activities like rock climbing, zip-lining, and rappelling
- Cleaning accommodations
- Meal prep and clean up
- Serving guests in The Nest
- Work projects
Each month you'll spend your days serving guests and gaining skills for employment options after Walkabout.
Experience gained includes:
- Foodservice Handler Certification and back-of-house experience
- High-ropes training for running rock climbing, rappelling, and zipline activities
- Lifeguard Certification
- Housekeeping experience
- Customer Service Training
- Barista/Cashier experience
Rest Fuels the Body and Soul
Resting when we are weary is not idleness. You'll find rest at Camp Eagle. We provide rest days each week and allow time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Camp Eagle campus is open to Walkabouts to enjoy during their off-time.
Available activities/hobbies include:
- Fishing
- Rock Climbing
- Kayaking
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Mountain Bike Riding
- Camping
- Town Trips
Community Leads to Life Change
Life change doesn't happen in a vacuum. So, we provide mentoring—both individual and group—to walk alongside you. We know that living the examined life means you'll confront hard issues in your own life. Our promise to you: you won't do it alone.
Mentoring opportunities include:
- 1:1 Mentors
- Family Groups
- Community Events
- Worship Nights
- Bible Studies
- Game Nights
- Movie Nights
How to get the most out of your Walkabout experience?
- Allow yourself to be present. Don’t be distracted by things at home, ask God to give you clarity and presence that only comes from a genuine striving alongside the promises in His Word.
- Remain at peace with the community around you. Help those around you. Be vulnerable with your peers. So much of our toil with one another comes from pride, which always suppresses vulnerability. James 5:16
- Understanding that change is hard. God has a purpose for us that goes against our fleshly desires. Dying to the flesh will not be easy, but will be fulfilling. Romans 8:13
- Have faith that an examined life, with the light of Christ shining on it, is the only way to truly live and bring glory to the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 5:13-17
