Last November, Yipiyap tutor Emily took the plunge and disconnected from social media for good. Emily talks about how she came to her decision, the damage social media can do, and how her life has changed post-socials.

It all began in May of 2021 when Yipiyap came to present their opportunities to people considering taking a gap year - me being one of those who felt uncertain about my future plans - but now I feel more than delighted to have taken advantage of this opportunity. It’s been quite the journey from start to finish, so I want to take this moment to reflect upon it and share it with you all and perhaps it’ll help you decide if being a Yipiyap tutor is something you’d want to also take part in.

If it had not been for a rare facetime call from a distant friend of mine, I may never have heard of Yipiyap…

Essential skills help us through life in more ways than we can understand which is why Yipiyap decided to create a program which offers Yipiyaps the opportunity to improve and master skills that are essential in all aspects of life.

This book in particular was one of the most interesting in terms of polarising opinion. Was the diary like format, split by mysterious dialogue, gripping or a cheap attention grab? Should all the unsettling details build to satisfying conclusions or be left to simmer in the back of your mind unexplained? And the ending – clever or clumsy?

“My camera doesn’t work!”

“My internet’s slow!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“I can’t see you!”

“I don’t have a pen!”

“I need more paper!”

“I need to let the dog out!”

“My mic doesn’t work!”

If you are reading this as someone who is considering retaking subjects or reapplying to university, I can relate! I did both on my gap year with Yipiyap. Last year, I was downhearted to find I had been rejected from my top choice university. I had never considered taking a gap year before this point. A year on, having resat a subject and submitted a new UCAS form, I am now holding the exact offer that eluded me last year: taking a gap year was justified from a university application standpoint alone, and never mind the many other perks which come as part and parcel of it too!

A bleak, ash covered road…

The bleachers of an American football game...

Under a blue sky on a desert island...

Thrust into the black emptiness of space after failing to convince your so-called “friends” you aren’t actually an alien imposter...

A question that has played on my mind ever since joining Yipiyap is; what’s with the logo?! As someone who is very interested in the history of art and how it shapes the world around us, I couldn’t help but wonder about the story behind the Yipiyap bird!

Reading the book, I felt two types of dread; the dread of the man and the boy walking through a decaying world, starving while they narrowly survive encounters with those who have rejected any sense of humanity out of desperation to keep living; and the dread of realising I’d picked an extremely bleak book for a relaxing evening! As I entered the Zoom call, I expected a black screen of exhausted faces. What I didn’t expect was for the team to actually enjoy the book, even more than I did!

Writing in a journal can improve your memory, boost your productivity, and help you process emotions healthily. Yipiyap Tutor Rebecca writes about how she came to journal, her preferred style of journaling, and why you should give it a try too.

Happiness can be a choice, but it’s not as simple as just deciding to feel better. Yipiyap’s Continuous Improvement Director Michael Bauer writes about six simple changes to his life that helped him find happiness.