Hey, CanGap!
I have a question!

A gap year is an intentional period of time spent away from formal education for a young person to get “real world” experience and understand who they are outside of a classroom. A gap year can be taken right after high school or in-between post-secondary studies. Watch this quick 2-minute video OR listen in to this episode of The Gap Year Podcast. We also recommend getting a first hand experience of CanGap and how we work (and why!) at one of our upcoming virtual or in-person events. Our Gap Year Expo is a gapper favorite with the opportunity to hear from our gap year expert team, program partners, and connect with other students considering a gap year. Expos run virtually and in-person in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. Register for an upcoming event at this link here.

The CanGap Parent Corner is a safe, non-judgemental community of parents who don’t have “it all figured out” but want to find the best way to support their kid in transitioning from a teenager into a happy, healthy & successful young adult (that moves out of your house). Some days it’s an extra coffee (or a glass of wine), some days it’s a shoulder to cry on, while others it is gathering more information and resources – we all need support in this journey. Learn more and join us in Heartbeat.

It's always tricky to navigate the transition out of high school and into a gap year. Sometimes the missing structure and unsaid expectations can lead to unnecessary conflict. Best practice is to get on the same page as early as possible. Have meaningful discussions about what this year will look like. We highly recommend putting together a family contract to guide this conversation. You can also design the gap year together by using our Gap Year Planner which gives specific instructions on talking about expectations.

Our Program Database helps you filter exactly what your teen is looking for based on their interests, length of program, and even destination (including virtual opportunities). Plus, every program on the list has been personally vetted by our team! Click here to start a personalized search with your teen.

Every young adult’s experience will be different, which is why there are many valid reasons for one to take a gap year. Reasons can include to earn money for their tuition, to focus on their mental health, to learn employable skills, and even build community. To get a clear sense on what your teen is experiencing and how to best support them, we recommend booking a call with one of our gap year experts to help with identifying needs and presenting solutions. Book a FREE 30-minute consultation here.

Sometimes it takes seeing themselves in another lead to feel inspired and motivated to take action on their gap year. To learn more about programming options that suit their needs and to connect your gapper with a neurodivergent coach, click here to book a call.

Check out this episode of The Gap Year Podcast where Michelle dives into this question for you!

CanGap’s gapper community continues to grow every year for this very reason: building community outside of a classroom is challenging. Through our programs and events, gappers get connected to like-minded new friends, starting with our Gap Year Launch event that kicks off their year ahead every September. Learn more and register here (or view our other upcoming events post-September here).

It’s important your soon-to-be grad gets clear on their interests and values so they can make the most of their time, instead of either getting stuck in decision paralysis OR an empty list of things they can do with their time. So, here’s a few ways you can help motivate them: Engage them in our free downloads: our intentionally designed tools helps gappers get clear on the possibilities and activities available to them during their gap year. This is also a great opportunity to sit down with them and engage them in conversation around building goals for their year ahead. Book a 1:1 call with an in-house gap year expert: sometimes having access to a trusted adult who is NOT mom or dad can be helpful for getting them out of a slump and excited about the possibilities. Invite them to Gapper Connect: often the lack of motivation is fueled by not having any friends to do things with (especially if their high school friends are off at university)! Our Gapper Connect Discord is a virtual community of over 500 gap year students, alums, and soon-to-be high school grads connecting on all things gap years - and finding new buddies for accountability, taking up new hobbies, and even making travel plans!

Let’s chat. Our team offers free 30-minute consultation calls to support families in navigating the nuances of a gap year based on your teen’s unique needs. To book a call, click here.