Abernethy Gap Academy
What's it like?
Join our 6-month full-time residential program to grow in faith, develop your character, practice your soft skills and gain valuable life skills – all whilst living in Christian Community in the Cairngorms. Following the 6-month program there will be the opportunity for some students to stay on for an extra 6 months, putting what you have learnt into practice in one of our centres. We run two programs each year, starting in August and in March.
Weekly Program
Each week there will be five and a half action-packed days doing a mixture of timetabled service, adventure and discipleship. Your time will be spent serving on the hospitality team (house, kitchen and maintenance), participating in our ‘Life and Faith Development’ programme and doing outdoor activities, both with our guests and with our Gap Year Tutor. You will also have the opportunity to go on overnight expeditions.
Every Wednesday night you will join in with the Abernethy Team Fellowship program. This is an evening where the whole team meets together to enjoy external speakers (challenging and encouraging us with scripture), worship and other activities. You will also have the opportunity to be involved in planning and delivering a couple of sessions throughout your time with us.
Sometimes our groups have an evening program which you will be involved with. This will include helping to run wide games, supervising people around the bonfire, and assisting in the delivery of a Christian message to our guests who come to Abernethy.
Each Sunday morning will be spent joining the local community by going to the village church (Abernethy Parish Church). There will be an opportunity to get involved in the church’s children’s ministry, hospitality, AV or worship.
Dates
We are currently accepting applications for our Abernethy Academy courses starting on the following dates (subject to final confirmation). Please specify which course you would like to join on your application form.
Sunday 23rd August 2026 – March 2027
Sunday 28th February 2027 – 28 August 2027
Activities
The activities that you will take part in will include: adventure course; archery; canoeing; coasteering; gorge walking; hiking; mountain biking; paddleboarding; raft building; rock climbing; skiing; team challenges and zip wire.
Service
You will be an important part of our team, helping in different departments including our house, kitchen and/or maintenance teams. During your service you will learn vital life skills to aid you in whatever is next for you. You will learn about food preparation, cleaning bathrooms, making beds as well as teamwork, resilience and good communication skills.
You’ll also have the opportunity to be part of the worship band, doing AV, helping with discussion groups or children’s ministry during events we run throughout the year. You’ll also be delivering games and activities to guests in the evenings.
Life & Faith Development
Each week for half a day you will meet with the GAP academy tutors and have time to learn and grow in your faith through our programme of bible study, discussion, learning, and prayer. You will also be assigned a mentor to meet with you regularly to talk and pray.
Academy Cost
The Gap Year is a voluntary position. This means that you do not get paid, but you will get your food and accommodation (including bills) free of charge. It is suggested that you bring some money for you to use socially and for your leisure when exploring the area (e.g. having a cup of tea in the local cafe).
