Taking a gap year is one of the best things a young person can do for themselves and their future – if they do it right.
And that is why we exist.
Canadian Gap Year Association (CanGap) is a non-profit organization supporting families and students in making purposeful post-secondary decisions by introducing and providing resources to support an alternative, experiential opportunity known as a gap year.
Throughout a student’s gap year journey, we help them identify their life goals, develop and execute a plan of action, and work towards successfully transitioning into their next phase of life.
So, what is a gap year anyways?
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. This also goes for university and college students who have the option to take a gap between years of study or upon graduation.
Through experiential learning and foundational skill development, students have the opportunity to work, volunteer, travel, focus on their physical and mental well-being, and engage in activities that support their passions and interests and help provide clarity for life’s next steps.
Our events, resources, and tools support them in making their “gap” impactful and a foundational pillar to build on for their future.
Why we do what we do
While COVID has intensified the need for our work, the core remains the same.
Society has convinced us that success is a fast-paced, straight line and that we need to be on that same accelerated conveyor belt to achieve.
This has led to:
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Increased mental health challenges and burn out
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Confusion and self-doubt when life it not figured out by 17-years-old
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Young adults choosing careers based solely on "prestige" and "earning potential" rather than factoring in interests and abilities
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An increase in courses and "resume building" activities squeezing out other elements that are important to self-awareness and self-discovery
Truth bomb: There is no clear path to a vibrant and successful future. And it will look different for everyone.
Life is rich because it is full of twists and turns. Making space for recovery and discovery sets young adults up for success more than racing into their future unprepared and unaligned.
Let’s take a look at a few 2020 statistics on post-secondary readiness and student needs:
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18% of students did not feel prepared at all for higher education, while 40% felt moderately prepared (HEQCO for SEMM Forum 2021)
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33% of 17,000 post-secondary students surveyed took at least one year off after graduating high school before going into higher education (Brainstorm Strategy Group for SEMM Forum 2021)
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75% of gap year alum reported that a gap year contributed to their academic motivation (Gap Year Association)
CanGap acts as the Gap Year Guidance Counselor our students are missing, while supporting educators in helping fill these gaps through our Gap Year Specialist program.
We validate, certify, and celebrate the bold and courageous goals, actions and experiential learning of Gappers (gap year students) as they work to identify who they are, what their needs are, and how they want to show up in the world before committing to a college or university program.
Whether you're a student considering a gap year, a parent concerned about how a gap year will impact your teen’s future, or an educator looking to further their knowledge of alternative pathways. We’ve got you covered.
Meet your Gap Year Experts
Michelle Dittmer
President & Co-Founder
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.
Jazzmine Raine
Youth Engagement Manager and Project Coach
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 leading 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.
Meet our Board of Directors
Kate Cassidy
In addition to working as an educational consultant and corporate trainer, Kate Cassidy is a lecturer with Brock University’s Department of Communications and a research associate with the Niagara Community Observatory. She formerly held the position of Director of Continuing Education, Community Learning, and Youth University at Brock University where she assumed responsibilities over the educational programs of over 90, 000 learners. Over the course of her career she has served as Canadian Chair and Journal Submission Reviewer for the Association for Experiential Education, as well as sat on committees and boards focused on innovative and inclusive education. She has written articles for education and business audiences and chapters for books such as The Theory of Experiential Education and Identities, Youth and Belonging. Kate holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a MEd and PhD in Education.
Susan LaRosa
Susan is the former Director of Education of the York Catholic District School Board. In addition to being the Co-Chair of the Human Services Planning Board of York Region, she is Chair of Rose of Sharon, a service for young mothers. She is also the Senior Strategist with Education Research Development Inc. and a volunteer with WE Charity and Ontario Special Olympics. Susan has a B.A. from Ottawa University and a Masters of Education and Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University.
Madelyn Steed
Madelyn has worked in higher education for close to a decade assisting students as they arrive, survive and thrive throughout their post-secondary experience. Madelyn has a Masters of Education from the Ontario Institute for the Studies of Education in Adult Education and Community Development. After her first semester at the University of Guelph, where she later completed her undergrad, Madelyn embarked on her own gap year and is passionate about guiding and supporting youth to take the same leap! She is a proud Katimavik-alumni!
Richard Wiggers
Richard is currently the Associate Dean of Liberal Studies, Mohawk College. Prior to that, he was employed as Executive Director, Research, and Programs with the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), and he held numerous prior positions in other provincial and federal government departments and the private sector. He has also taught nearly 100 postsecondary courses, including at the graduate level, and holds a doctorate from Georgetown University, a Masters from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor's from Carleton University.
Our commitment to diversity
As the world begins to pay attention in new and more intentional ways to a long-fought battle for racial equity, the Canadian Gap Year Association recognizes that Canada, like many other countries, has many systems that perpetuate racism. We acknowledge that CanGap has a role to play within the gap year movement and we commit to taking action. We echo the sentiments from the US-based Gap Year Association and unite by sharing these words:
As an industry that long stands on a history of its own systemic issues of [in]equity, inclusion [exclusion] and white privilege, we have a long road ahead. Our field needs to accelerate the vital work of educating ourselves to better impact our communities, students and their families about core issues like systemic racism, white supremacy, implicit bias, and racial inequities.
We recognize that while some gains will come quickly, systemic change is only possible with prolonged and consistent efforts on our part. While our role will continue to evolve as we engage more purposefully with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) communities, the Canadian Gap Year Association commits to:
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Expanding our Board of Director team to better represent diverse perspectives in decision-making and guiding the direction of the Association.
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Additional clauses in the CanGap Partnership MOU that require a commitment to anti-racism, diversity and inclusion efforts.
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Designing a fair and sustainable advisory council model that will empower BIPOC voices within the Canadian gap year community to address increasing equity and access to gap year activities, racial inequalities, and adjusting harmful gap year narratives and programming.
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Work with qualified professionals to develop anti-racism, diversity and inclusion resources for gap year professionals and gappers. We will begin with:
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Staff training (internally and for gap year professionals across the field)
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Suggested standards & self-evaluation tools for gap year programs
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Resources for gappers who wish to focus on social justice issues on their gap year
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Ongoing education for our members and ourselves on anti-racism and allyship.
If you would like to be part of one of the above-mentioned initiatives, this sustained effort, or be involved in any way in addressing the systemic racial issues perpetuated by the gap year industry, we invite you to connect with us. We can do more together.
(Updated June 23, 2020; PDF Available HERE)