Gap Year Program

Our students and staff come from all around the world, we are a multicultural campus and are always looking to meet friends from new nations.

Most of our students are aged between 18-30 but we often have people join us who are outside that age range. If you feel like joining us don’t hesitate to get in contact with our communications team.

Each outreach is unique. Here are a few places we have been recently: Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Cambodia, The Philippines, Uganda, South Africa, Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.

Successful completion of the Australian Year 10 Certificate (or equivalent) and a sufficient standard of oral and written English proficiency is needed in order to benefit from our training.

There are no prerequisites for DTS. However, we ask that you are over the age of 18 by the time you leave for outreach.

The DTS program is 6-months long and the lecture phase and outreach phase are designed to complement each other. We highly value the equipping and training of students, as well as giving them practical experience in missions. If you are considering this course it would be beneficial for you to find a time in your schedule where you can commit to full-time.

YWAM Newcastle is a non-profit organisation and as such all of our staff and students rely upon the financial support of others in order to be here. Due to this, we are unable to offer scholarships.

DTS is a Centrelink approved course. If you are an Australian you may be eligible for financial assistance from Centrelink. Information about Youth Allowance, Austudy, ABSTUDY and other payments are available on their website. Please talk to our communication team for further assistance.

The course schedule does not allow time for outside work. In addition to this, we want you to get the most out of your course and advise against anything that would distract you from being fully involved.

We provide accommodation for all students at our residence, Bulkirra House. Check out the “Life at YWAM Newcastle” page for details on our facilities.

We start our week on a Tuesday and end with our Youth Street Teams program on Saturday afternoon. For more info on a typical day and campus schedule please see the “Life at YWAM Newcastle” page.

Work Duties are a chance for our students to interact with the wider YWAM Newcastle community. Students are allocated into teams to serve in our kitchen, hospitality department, media team, building team, cafe and more.

We like to say that electives add a bit of “flavour” to the DTS. They are a way of gathering together people that are passionate about similar things. Electives don’t limit you from getting involved in other areas you are passionate about around campus or in your own time.

Chat with your DTS staff about what this looks like for your school and how you can take initiative outside of class time to incorporate your elective into your DTS experience.

Your weekends are your own and there is always something to do in Newcastle.

Catch some waves at the beach, visit one of the many local cafes nearby, see a movie at the cinema or visit the farmer’s markets. Sydney is only a two and a half-hour train ride away, which is ideal for a day trip to the city.

There are many opportunities post-DTS. We offer a number of further courses (second-level schools) right here in Newcastle, including the Bible Core Course (BCC) and the Art Evangelists School (AES). You could also continue your study with YWAM at any other YWAM location around the world.

Once you’ve completed DTS you are able to join staff with us here or another YWAM location around the world. Be part of our growing team in one of our many departments and ministries.

Our hope is that DTS would equip you to be a part of what you want to do next, no matter what it is, inspiring missional-minded people in all walks of life.