What is TYO?
TYO (The Young Ones) is a formation year for school leavers — a year to grow your faith, discover your gifts, and find what you’re made for.
The 5 foundations
Everything at TYO is built on five foundations. It’s not a curriculum you complete but it shapes the whole year.
Deepen: Go beyond a surface faith. Wrestle with the big questions, build real spiritual habits, and grow roots that hold in every season.
Serve: Faith works best with its sleeves rolled up. Step into your community, give your time to people who need it, and discover how much you have to offer.
Explore: Try things. Ask things. Go places. This is the year to explore who God made you to be, without the pressure to have it all figured out.
Discover: Uncover your gifts, your passions, and the direction that’s uniquely yours — so you leave with clarity, not just experience.
Do: Ideas mean nothing until they’re lived. You’ll put everything into practice through real, hands-on involvement that turns growth into action.
The 5 foundations
Everything at TYO is built on five foundations. It’s not a curriculum you complete but it shapes the whole year.
Deepen: Go beyond a surface faith. Wrestle with the big questions, build real spiritual habits, and grow roots that hold in every season.
Serve: Faith works best with its sleeves rolled up. Step into your community, give your time to people who need it, and discover how much you have to offer.
Explore: Try things. Ask things. Go places. This is the year to explore who God made you to be, without the pressure to have it all figured out.
Discover: Uncover your gifts, your passions, and the direction that’s uniquely yours — so you leave with clarity, not just experience.
Do: Ideas mean nothing until they’re lived. You’ll put everything into practice through real, hands-on involvement that turns growth into action.
A Week at TYO
TYO runs on a simple two-week rhythm — and the best way to picture it is a sponge.
Week A, you soak it up. Week B, you wring it out. One week pours in — training, coaching, formation, and preparation. The next week pours out — real ministry, outreach, and hands-on experience in the world. Then it repeats, all term long.
Every day has the same steady shape. The week runs Sunday to Thursday. Sundays you serve on campus at our morning and evening services. Monday to Thursday runs 08:30–16:00 and always opens the same way: personal Bible study to start, chapel and lunch together in the middle of the day. It’s structured enough to build real discipline, with room to breathe.
Week A — Soaking it up
This is your growth week. Group spiritual formation and personal Bible study anchor your mornings (Deepen). You’ll sit in on church-staff sessions (Serve), work through a leadership course and one-on-one coaching (Explore), complete online courses in your field of interest, and build practical adulting skills (Do) — all while preparing the ministry you’ll deliver the following week.
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Week B — Wringing it out
This is your ministry week. You’ll take everything you’ve prepared into schools, care homes, and community projects, and embed with a church ministry to serve and lead on the ground (Serve). You’ll also step into workplaces to meet professionals in careers you’re curious about (Discover) — real exposure to where your gifts could take you.
All work and not play...
Five times across the year, we down tools and head out — a hiking trail, a caving expedition, escape rooms, and more.
Because the friendships you build at 6am on a mountain, or laughing your way out of a locked room, are the ones that last. These are the moments that turn a group of students into a community — and a gap year into the year you’ll always remember.
FAQ's
Who is TYO for?
TYO is for school leavers — typically ages 18 to 21 — who’ve finished matric and want a year of real growth before university, work, or whatever comes next. No particular background is needed, just a willingness to grow, serve, and be stretched.
What does TYO cost, and what's included?
The TYO programme fee is R30,000 for the year — around R3,000 a month over 10 months. That covers the full programme: all training, leadership coaching, spiritual formation, short courses, ministry involvement, mentorship from a personal spiritual director, and the five adventure activities across the year.
Please note the fee doesn’t include daily living costs — students arrange and fund their own meals, transport, and accommodation. Payment plans are available, and we’re happy to walk any family through the full picture. Just ask.
Where do students stay?
TYO is a come-in programme, not a residential one. Students arrange and fund their own accommodation and transport, travelling to campus for the 08:30–16:00 day, Monday to Thursday.
Is it safe and how are students supervised?
Student wellbeing is a priority throughout the year. Students are part of a structured, staffed programme each day, and every student is paired with a personal spiritual director they meet with weekly. Our team holds Level 2 First Aid certification, including on outreaches and adventure activities.
Can students hold a part-time job?
Yes. The programme runs Sunday to Thursday, which leaves Fridays and Saturdays free — so many students take on weekend or part-time work to help fund their year and living costs. We’d simply encourage a healthy balance, so you can be fully present for the programme.
How much of a time commitment is it?
The week runs Sunday to Thursday. Sundays are for serving on campus at the morning and evening services, and Monday to Thursday runs 08:30 to 16:00. Wednesday evenings include small groups with the young-adult community. Fridays and Saturdays are free.
Do students need to be Christians?
TYO is an unapologetically faith-centred year built around spiritual formation, so faith is at the heart of everything we do. You should expect that — but you don’t need to have it all figured out. If you’re genuinely exploring faith and open to growing, you’re welcome here.
What happens after TYO? Does it count towards anything?
TYO is a year of formation rather than a formal qualification — but you won’t leave empty-handed. Students finish with real leadership and ministry experience, completed short courses, practical adulting skills, a Level 2 First Aid certification, and far greater clarity on their gifts and direction.
How do I apply?
Applying is simple — just click the link below to complete our online application form, and we’ll be in touch to walk you through the next steps.
Apply
Ready to grow through your gap year — not just fill it?
Spaces are limited each year. Take the first step and we’ll take it from there. Contact DupieJvR@mosaiek.com for more information or to apply.