Taking a gap year is one of the very best things a young person can do for themselves and their future prospects – if they do it right.

Which is where we come in. The Canadian Gap Year Association (CanGap) is a registered non-profit organization with a mission to support young people looking to take an intentional step off the conveyor belt of life to explore and experience ‘the real world’ according to their talents, goals and interests.

What began in the early 2000s with two parents who saw a need for support while their own children were exploring gap years, has grown and evolved into a dynamic and trusted resource for providing gap year information.

Under the leadership of our Director and gap year expert Michelle Dittmer (who you can meet below!), we support gappers and their families through one-on-one coaching , a year-long certification program and a wealth of free resources – all designed to help you plan and execute on an epic year, whatever that looks like for you.

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OUR STORY

““Young people are more capable and innovative than they are given credit for, but they need guidance and confidence in their abilities to discover and explore their passions and interests outside an academic setting”

Michelle Dittmer

President and Co-founder

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:

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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. 

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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 in 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.

• Additional clauses in the CanGap Partnership MOU that require a commitment to anti-racism, diversity and inclusion efforts.

• 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.

• Work with qualified professionals to develop anti-racism, diversity and inclusion resources for gap year professionals and gappers.  We will begin with:

  • Staff training (internally and for gap year professionals across the field)

  • Suggested standards & self-evaluation tools for gap year programs

  • Resources for gappers who wish to focus on social justice issues on their gap year

• Ongoing education for our members and ourselves on anti-racism and allyship.

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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.

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(Updated June 23, 2020; PDF Available HERE)