GAP at SOAR
Welcome to GAP where participants experience real-life responsibilities in a real-life setting—interacting with peers, cooking meals, doing laundry, organizing their space, and planning for their next trip with a staff to participant ratio of 1:5.
All About GAP
During the Base Phase of the program, GAP participants will be offered internship or volunteering opportunities with local businesses and programs. This experience will provide an opportunity to practice applying and interviewing for jobs as well as interpersonal skills. GAP students will also have the opportunity to gain certifications such as Lifeguarding or Wilderness First Aid.
Build Life Skills
During GAP, participants develop and practice skills under the experienced supervision of SOAR Mentors. Each participant will work towards their own individual goals revolving around personal, professional, and holistic categories. While the staff provide guidance, our participants are empowered to live as young adults making decisions for themselves. SOAR Mentors will help facilitate participant growth as they work toward becoming autonomous members of society by the end of the GAP experience. The final expedition is planned and facilitated by the GAP participants with the SOAR Mentors simply driving the van and providing supervision!
- Menu planning, purchasing & preparation
- Budgeting & fiscal responsibility
- Organization & responsibility of personal items
- Expedition planning & travel expertise
- Laundry & personal hygiene
- Social Skills
- Community involvement
- Goal Setting & orientation
- Time Management
Gap Facilities & Campus
North Carolina Awaits!
GAP operates out of the SOAR Headquarters – Balsam Base. At an elevation of almost 4,000 feet, the property looks out over the Blue Ridge Mountains and is directly next to the National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway property where GAPpers can hike the Mountains-to-Sea trail.
Base camp features electric cabins where the GAPpers stay, rustic cabins, a rock climbing wall, a low ropes course, a high ropes course, and more.
Enjoy Bunk Style Housing
GAPpers stay in the electric cabins on base camp. They will have cozy spaces to make their own with a bunk bed, mattress, and wardrobe. There are two bunk rooms with multiple bunk beds in each space. The bathhouse includes individual showers and men’s and women’s restrooms with a large conference room space for studying or rainy day activities.
Next to bathhouse, there is the commercial kitchen, dining hall and office building. Meals are mostly eaten in the dining hall, also known as Buck’s Cafe, or on the back porch out in the sun!
Volunteer Work & Expeditions
Through meaningful volunteer experiences, GAP participants build connections within the local community while developing responsibility, teamwork, and leadership skills. Students may volunteer with local churches, businesses, or animal shelters, participate in river and community clean-up projects, or assist with maintenance and service projects to learn hard skills around SOAR’s Balsam Base property.
GAPpers will plan weekly expeditions! From whitewater rafting day trips to week long backpacking expeditions, GAPpers are guided by staff how to plan and prepare for each expedition while learning valuable life skills along the way.
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Balsam Base is a short 20 minute drive from Waynesville and a 45 minute drive from Asheville and all that it offers! Our property is also just around the corner from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Nantahala, Cherokee, Pisgah, and Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. These natural areas provide world class whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and millions of miles of trail!
How to Apply
Complete the online application here.
Required
- $100 Application Fee
- Academic Transcript or Recent Grades
- IEP or 504 Plan (if available)
- Psychological Evaluation (if available)
- 2-3 References
