Does the idea of your gap year seem just too overwhelming to take on alone? You want to make the most of your year, reflect on your wants and needs, and put in the work but you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you just worry that you will lose momentum and watch the year get wasted.
You know that having some sort of guidance along the gap year path, especially as you begin to carve out your future, would be so valuable to your next steps, but mom and dad don’t always cut it.
You need a safe space to connect with someone who understands what you’re experiencing, knows how to leverage a gap year for personal and professional growth, and how to prepare for the “what’s next” part.
That’s where we come in, because let’s face it, mom and dad probably didn’t take a gap year (nor did your teachers or guidance counsellor), and although they have tons of wisdom to share, you need the expert insight.
Having that third-party perspective, an adult with over 10+ years of experience of doing exactly that (gap year coaching, student support and career planning) is what will help you get clear on who you are, what you want and how to turn plans into action.
Meet your Gap Year Experts and Coaches
Michelle Dittmer
Recognizing that students were not being provided with enough opportunity to get hands-on experience to develop life skills, Michelle left the classroom to explore other ways of helping young people find direction and fulfilment. She worked to train other teachers, she instructed outdoor education, she traveled for pleasure and for work and researched what today’s youth really want and need.
All of her life experience drove her to the same conclusion – we need to slow down and give young people the space and time to figure out who they are and to engage in meaningful experiences.
Michelle founded the Canadian Gap Year Association as an antidote to business, mental health challenges and young adults feeling confused and unfulfilled. She has committed her professional life to giving families permission to slow down so their kids can be the best version of themselves and make a healthy transition into adulthood.
Shorter Coaching Programs
Gap Year Planning
If you want to make sure that your gap year plan doesn’t miss a thing, working one-on-one with Michelle will make sure that the plan will move you towards your goals, fall within your budget and set you up for success after your gap year.
We cover: Goal Setting, Picking Programs/Experiences, Budgeting, Overcoming Unforeseen Challenges
Gap Year Reboot
Sometimes we get lost on our journey. Perhaps we have lost motivation, run out of ideas or just need someone to cheer us on and get us re-energized. A gap year reboot can happen at any stage and is common December through February. We will revisit your goals (or create new ones), create a revised plan for the remaining months and evaluate how we can prevent other stalls on our gap year. We take a strengths-based approach and support further growth and development through learning from experience.
Career Exploration
Many folks take a gap year to get clear on what they want to study and where they want their career to go. In these sessions, Michelle will explore strengths, interests and labour force information to help explore what path might be the best next step for you. We will look at how your gap year can support career exploration and next steps. We will use the YouScience and Challenge Cards as tools for reflection.
Custom Topic
If you have a specific challenge you want to work through with a gap year coach, send us an email and we can build a custom 4-session package for you!
Identity & Wellness
This is not therapy. These 4 sessions will help you reflect on who you are, who you want to be and what steps it will take to get there. We will look a holistic wellness and what activities, routines and experiences will help you reach your wellness goals.
Resume & Reintegration
Learning how to communicate your gap year experience is essential for getting the best ROI from your gap year. We will work on articulating your learning, growth and experience and how to translate that into language that admissions, scholarship grantors and employers are impressed by. We will set up your resume and LinkedIn profile and work on any existing applications you have.
What's Included?
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Workbook with activities, reflections and suggested action items
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4 x 45 minute coaching sessions
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Access to all Gapper Virtual Community including between session coach support
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4-Step Gap Year Planner
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Opportunity to earn the Student of Leadership & Humanity Award
Jazzmine Raine
Jazzmine Raine leads from a background of over 10 years in project management, social impact, and experiential education. She is the proud founder of Hara House, India's first zero waste guesthouse and tourism organization, and has been recognized globally for her work in the sustainable tourism sector.
Her diverse career has spanned across multiple countries with a strategic focus on providing young people the tools and knowledge needed to solve global challenges. With a love for storytelling and building social impact, she thrives when coaching students and young professionals in leading new, innovative ideas.
Jazzmine has been a key leader in many unique social projects such as Causeartist, Sustainable Travel Network, Studio.89 and Hara World. In her spare time, you will find her writing short stories and drinking chai on her balcony at 8000ft in the Himalayas.
Maximum Impact Coaching Program
If you are looking for year-round support, our full coaching package includes 12 sessions throughout the year to get you to your gap year goals faster and with less stress! Taking elements from all of the above programs, we design the right combination of activities and conversations to set you up for success on your gap year and in life.
For Gappers in need of:
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Steps for identifying their gap year goals, plans and activities
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Support in staying accountable
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Guidance in career planning and matching gap year activities to their interests
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Awareness of where to access aligned job, internship and funding opportunities (and how to build successful applications!)
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Counseling and support from an adult who “gets it”
Topics Include: -
Gap Year Goal Setting, Planning & Preparation, Gap Year Accountability and Troubleshooting, Values & Strengths Articulation, Life Pathway and Career Exploration, Translating Gap Year Experiences to marketable skills (ie. resume support, scholarship application support),Post-gap year transition topics, Additional topics chosen by the gapper as areas of support needed
What's included:
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12 x 1-hour virtual coaching sessions
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1 x 1-hour family onboarding session
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Ongoing one-on-one email support
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Access to virtual gapper community
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4-Step Gap Year Planner
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Opportunity to earn the Student of Leadership & Humanity Award
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YouScience Career aptitude assessment & report highlighting aptitudes and interests, suggesting potential careers and functional language to use on your resume and in job interviews
All coaching packages provide access to:
Gapper Connect Discord
Our Discord server connects you to over 200 students, Gappers and alum across Canada (and beyond!) to share successes, challenges, passions and more. You’ll also have access to our exclusive opportunity channel sharing weekly jobs, internships and funding opportunities!
The 4-Step
Gap Year Planner
Access our video guided workbook on how to plan your gap year with a strong focus on goal setting, research, activity planning and budgeting (with all the templates, trusted programs and partners, and additional tools included!).
Custom Workbook
Each gapper will receive a digital workbook full of activities, reflection questions and ideas to complement the content discussed in the coaching sessions. Each workbook is customized to address key elements of each coaching program topic and provides in-between session work that can be done independently to deepen the outcomes of the coaching program.
The opportunity to earn the Student of Leadership & Humanity Award
If gappers are interested, they can earn the international Student of Leadership and Humanity Award, by independently completing 7 theme-based activities. Earning the award proves to the world your potential, your courage, and your ability to DO.
Now, if mom or dad are helping you invest in getting the best support for maximizing your gap year experience, go grab ‘em for this section.
Interested in jumping on a free 30-minute consultation call to chat about the program before getting started? Click here!
Hey, mom and dad!
We know you see the value in career planning, education and hands-on experience. That’s why you’re rooting for your kid to have a successful gap year, but you also want to make sure they have access to all the tools, resources, and support needed to make that happen.
Our gap year coaching is ideal for gappers who have ideas and goals for their year but either
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Need one-on-one support to put plans into place
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Struggle with gaining and sustaining momentum, OR
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Want to get ahead in connecting their interests with future aspirations and careers.
Our in-house Gap Year Expert and Coaches are a professionals with 10+ years experience guiding young people on their gap year journey and in setting themselves up for success post-gap year. They provides
practical advice, connect families to reputable resources, and help Gappers navigate the often complicated transition into adulthood. They also happen to be a fan favorite across our community of over 3300 students and families.
So, if you want to help your kid gain independence, maturity, clarity about their future, and build a community of like-minded peers and inspirational leaders, coaches and mentors, you are in the right place.
Got questions?
We got answers!
Can I start coaching at any time?
Yes! We will adjust the schedule to make sure you are making the most of your coaching time and addressing any of the timely issues that come up regardless of when on your gap year you start coaching.
Is there anything available to support parents?
Yes! To learn more about our coaching and support programs for parents of gap year students, CLICK HERE
When do the coaching sessions take place?
You get to choose! We’ll set a schedule at the beginning of the contract, but each session can be moved depending on how your gap year activities unfold. Our sessions are intentionally virtual to accommodate your gap year schedule and plans.
What if I can't afford this package but it is exactly what I need?
Contact Michelle directly at michelle@cangap.ca. Together, we can work towards a scholarship and/or energy-exchange to offset the fees.
What if my kid is resistant to the idea of coaching but could really benefit from it?
Book a free consultation call by clicking here. This is a great opportunity to introduce your kid our coaches and have them explain the coaching program in terms that make sense to each person involved. In the end, if they aren't interested, it won't work and we can connect them to other resources that can support their gap year needs.
Will coaching help my teen get a job/internship?
Coaching does not include the Coach doing any booking of experiences, job searching, or internship coordination. These are the responsibility of the Client and Customer. Referrals may be provided by the coach if additional support is required in these areas.