Your Kid Is Taking a Gap Year. Now What?
Right now, you are likely carrying more questions than answers.
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Will they lose momentum?
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What are they actually going to do all year?
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How much should I be involved?
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How do we talk about money, safety, travel, work and expectations?
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And how do I support them without taking over?
You’re not the only parent asking these questions.
A gap year can be an exciting step toward independence, confidence and greater clarity. But when you’re the parent watching your child step away from the familiar path, it can also feel uncertain.
That’s why the Canadian Gap Year Association (CanGap) created this 90-minute parent session.
Your role is changing. We will help you navigate it.
Parenting a young person through a gap year is a little like moving from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat. (And allowing your young person to step into that driver's seat)
You’re still in the car. Your experience still matters. But increasingly, they need to read the map, make decisions and learn what to do when the road doesn’t go exactly as planned.
That transition can be hard for everyone.
In this practical and reassuring session, we’ll help you understand what makes a gap year successful, where your support matters most, and when giving your young person room to figure things out may be the most valuable support you can offer.
In this one-hour session, our resident gap year expert, Michelle Dittmer will share best practices for navigating this new territory.
With over 15 years of experience in gap year coaching, working with hundreds of young Canadians(and their parents), she knows a thing or two about how to make this process successful and less stressful.
Michelle will be covering:
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What a purposeful gap year can actually look like — beyond the Instagram version
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The common worries parents have about motivation, university, careers, money and “falling behind”
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How to have productive conversations about expectations, boundaries and responsibilities
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The difference between supporting your young person and planning the year for them
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How independence, confidence and decision-making develop through a gap year
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Practical considerations including finances, safety, travel, work, volunteering and planning
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What to do when your young person doesn’t have the whole year figured out yet
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Reliable resources to help your family make informed decisions as the year unfolds
You’ll also have an opportunity to bring your own questions and hear what other gap year parents are thinking about.
