In the Life of a Vanguard

 

Work Rotations

Explore a day and week in the life of a Vanguard.

We purposefully structure our days and weeks to help Vanguards have experiences that help them discover their callings. At then end of the year, Vanguards are commissioned to live them out in their next steps.

These milestones mark significant conversations in what we call our vocational discernment process. Every part of the Vanguard Gap Year informs this. Read on to explore how this happens.

  1. The Sacredness of Work – We start by reframing commonly held beliefs about work and vocation.
  2. Understanding Self – What does it mean to be uniquely created by God and rooted in Christ? Vanguards examine their strengths, limits, personal values, weaknesses, challenges, and passions to gain a better picture of who they are.
  3. Understanding the World We Live In – We have to understand the challenges and struggles of the world we live in and how we can use our gifts, passions, and talents to build the kingdom of God here on earth. 
  4. Practicing in the Present – Vocation isn’t just a future thing – it’s in the here and now. Vanguards explore how they can live out their vocational callings in the present.
  5. Making Choices – You can’t just think about the future! Discovering and living out your vocation means making decisions and choosing a path. It doesn’t have to be filled with anxiety…your decisions can be freeing!

 

Vanguard: Day in the Life

 MondayTuesday - ThursdayFriday
7:30 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
8:00 Community Devotionals Community Devotionals Community Devotionals
8:15 Cultural Immersion Prep Work in Rotation Seminar Prep Time
12:00 Midday Prayer Midday Prayer Midday Prayer
12:15 Lunch Lunch Lunch
1:00 Outdoor Activity Work in Rotation Seminar Begins
3:30 Reflection/Discussion Time Seminar Activity
5:15 Dinner Dinner Dinner
6:00 Family Night Free Time Seminar Activity

  1. Is it exactly like this every week? No - this is just a very general look at what a week could look like. You'll always eat meals at these times, you'll always be working from Tuesday-Thursday, and Mondays and Fridays will always be more programmed days. Vanguards receive a monthly schedule so they know what's going on from day to day.
  2. How are meals served? Family style! You sit down at our 10-seat rectangular tables and pass bowls, platters, and pitchers of prepared food.
  3. What does free time mean? Great question. To us, free time means there's nothing scheduled. However - you might have assignments, chores, or other responsibilities (applying for colleges! addressing fundraising letters! talking with someone back home!) that need to be done. While we leave plenty of free time to get these things done, it's up to you to figure out when.
  4. What are Community Devotionals? Everyone at HoneyRock - professional staff, Fellows, Graduate Students, volunteers, Vanguards - gather for 15-20 minutes to begin the day. We read Scripture, name and reflect on what God is doing, and pray. Different members of the community lead each morning, so the content and presentation stay fresh and relevant. For many of us at HoneyRock, this is our favorite time of day!
  5. What is Work in Tracks? Read about Vanguards Tracks and the work experiences you'll gain as a Vanguard!

Vanguard: Weekend in the Life

We believe in rest and recreation on the weekends. While there might be some "required" programming, we try and leave it open. Oftentimes, Vanguards spend weekends doing outdoor activities, hanging out in town (Eagle River or Three Lakes), catching up on some reading for seminars, going to church, and finding their own fun around HoneyRock.

 SaturdaySunday
8:00 Breakfast Breakfast
9:00 Free Time Church
12:15 Lunch Lunch
1:00

Town Run Free Time
Optional Activity
5:15 Dinner Dinner
Evening Free Time Vespers and Small Groups
vanguard adam hiking happily
Adam Kepke '17
Taking a break from school gave me the space I needed to decide to actually return to school when I didn’t think it was for me. I was able to take an intermission to just figure out if I wanted to go back and what I wanted to study. Since going back to college, I’ve discovered that once you know what you want to study, school becomes a lot easier and a lot more purposeful.
vanguard allie smiling
Meet Allie '19
I knew that I didn’t really have a relationship with God. If I went to college and wasn’t 100% sure of my faith, I knew that I would just drop it. It was important for me to figure it out.
brian working at honeyrock
Meet Brian '19
I think if I went straight to school I would have continued to not care about my personal health and wellness. There was a huge growth in relational and spiritual maturity which helped me determine how I want to live my life…what drives me and what motivates me. I couldn’t have easily gone into college and done well, or if I did, it would have come at the cost of not continuing to live a healthy lifestyle, not being rested.
chan smiles at the camera
Chanyoung Woo '18
Vanguard
I mean, I’m going to be lifelong friends with the people I met here. The experiences you get here…I don’t think you’ll ever get another chance to do anything like this in your life.
vanguard adam hiking happily
Adam Kepke '17
Taking a break from school gave me the space I needed to decide to actually return to school when I didn’t think it was for me. I was able to take an intermission to just figure out if I wanted to go back and what I wanted to study. Since going back to college, I’ve discovered that once you know what you want to study, school becomes a lot easier and a lot more purposeful.
vanguard allie smiling
Meet Allie '19
I knew that I didn’t really have a relationship with God. If I went to college and wasn’t 100% sure of my faith, I knew that I would just drop it. It was important for me to figure it out.
brian working at honeyrock
Meet Brian '19
I think if I went straight to school I would have continued to not care about my personal health and wellness. There was a huge growth in relational and spiritual maturity which helped me determine how I want to live my life…what drives me and what motivates me. I couldn’t have easily gone into college and done well, or if I did, it would have come at the cost of not continuing to live a healthy lifestyle, not being rested.
chan smiles at the camera
Chanyoung Woo '18
Vanguard
I mean, I’m going to be lifelong friends with the people I met here. The experiences you get here…I don’t think you’ll ever get another chance to do anything like this in your life.
In the end, what we loved most about the Vanguard experience is the way that it helped our daughter discern her calling. — Annette Burlet, Vanguard Parent '16
My purpose in taking a gap year wasn’t to find clarity with my vocation, but it ended up being evident with what I wanted to do with my life....I’m an Urban Studies major. I never knew that was a thing you could study in college until I came here. — Sarah Lambert '16, Vanguard
We like to say he found both “a passion and a program” during Vanguard. Our son was provided space to discern what he wanted to study in college and pursue as a career. — Ann Kepke, Vanguard Parent '16