What makes a gap year purposeful and transformative while prioritizing community and, you know, fun?!
It’s actually no secret. It’s what YOU make of it.
But, we do happen to have a unique process for how to lead a successful gap year. It all starts with clear goals backed by accountability.
The CanGap 4-Step Gap Year Planner helps you do just that: plan and live out your once-in-a-lifetime gap year.
Here’s what’s included with your workbook download:
Plan your gap year in less than 8 hours
Access everything you need to plan a well-rounded, purposeful and FUN gap year (whether it’s just a semester or 12 months) with a all-in-one workbook and step-by-step video facilitation.
Get support from a
Gap Year Expert
Get one-on-one feedback and support from Experts with over 10+ years of helping Canadian students plan and lead kick-butt gap years.
Start building your Gapper community
Connect with a nationwide community of Gappers, find accountability buddies and maybe even a travel buddy in our Gapper Connect Discord.
Earn your Goal Setting digital badge
Build your gap year resume by earning your Goal Setting digital badge, one of seven badges needed to earn the Student of Leadership & Humanity Award.
We know what you’re thinking: “how the heck is it even possible to plan my gap year in less than 8 hours”?!
Simple: The 4-Step Gap Year Planner takes away the guess-work and gives you a step-by-step workbook so you don't miss anything.
It also makes sure you don't fall into too many rabbit holes that block you from building a solid plan (from not planning enough to planning way too much)!
In the end, it saves you time, money and takes away the frustration of the planning process.
But, we also know that planning is challenging on your own. So many questions. So many ideas!
We literally built this tool for you because we’ve seen the same challenges come up with gap year students in the planning process. Each activity is designed to help you jump over any hurdle that may come up in the process and as a result, proves your ability to goal set, plan and take action (which is totally worth the Goal Setting badge).
Here’s what to expect during each step of your Gap Year Planner...
STEP ONE: GOAL SETTING
We’ll kick things off by helping you get clear on why you decided on a gap year. That why (aka your gap year goals!) will drive a lot of what you actually do and accomplish throughout your year.
We’ll also make sure you don’t get too ahead of yourself and plan 101 things that will either overwhelm you or not make sense to your overall goals.
STEP TWO: RESEARCH
Once you’ve gained clarity around your goals, we’ll go into research mode. Why? Because you can’t just type anything into Google and expect the results to be aligned with what you’re looking for.
Here we’ll get you thinking about the critical questions you need to ask yourself and service providers that you’d like to connect with during your gap year, from finding an ethical volunteer opportunity to seeking start-up funding and scholarships.
STEP THREE: DECISION MAKING
Oh, decisions. For any of you who already had a tough time making a post-secondary decision, don’t worry, we’ve made this section super easy to maneuver. The secret: it all ties together with your goals (seeing the trend here?!).
We’ll help you easily budget your gap year and plan your gap year calendar (in a NOT overwhelming way - it’s all about the 3-month intervals!).
STEP FOUR: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Now, the exciting part: putting all the pieces together in one seamless document that you can continue to go back to, adjust, and review whenever you feel a little lost, confused, or uncertain about what’s next.
(It’s also a great piece to share with parents and anyone else who is interested in what you’re planning for your gap year!)
We’ll also dive into the community building aspect of your gap year because, let’s be honest, it’s way more fun to do this with friends!
What Gappers are actually saying
about our gap year support
Meet your Gap Year Experts
Michelle Dittmer
President & Co-founder
Countries visited: 27
First job: Life guard
Fave ice cream: Mint chocolate chip
Fave thing about the Planner: Connecting your goals to actionable activities!
Archetype: Your progressive aunt - someone who has done cool things, someone you can trust, AND someone who will challenge you to be your fullest, truest self!
Jazzmine Raine
Youth Engagement Manager
Countries visited: 25
First job: Newspaper delivery gal
Fave ice cream: Mango
Fave thing about the Planner: The kick-start momentum it gives you to launch your gap year!
Archetype: The energizer bunny - whenever you need a boost, I got you covered. Whether things are going great or you need extra support in the lower times, count on me to charge you up!
