The Gap Year Podcast
 

The Gap Year Podcast

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Explore all things gap year through stories and anecdotes by gappers, families and experts. Fun to listen to but also jam-packed with tips and tricks for making the most of your gap year. No matter who you are or where you are on your gap year journey, you should be listening to the Gap Year Podcast! Although it is produced for Canadians, the content is universal.

Episodes

Why September’s Actions will Make or Break your Gap Year

Friday Aug 25, 2023

Friday Aug 25, 2023

Happy New Year! Well, it’s not actually January, but doesn’t September feel like New Years anyway? A new season, new academic year and so many amazing back-to-school deals! 

But this is also an exciting time for gappers, as it’s the beginning of your Gap Year! In one of our past episodes we talked about the top 3 most challenging times for Gappers, and September definitely makes the list. You see everyone around you heading off to post-secondary, getting into a new routine, making new memories, and all of this can lead you to feeling isolated and experiencing FOMO! 

Your gap year shouldn’t start like this, so tune in to see how you can jumpstart your year to lead to so many successes and achievements! 

Better yet, Kickstart your gap year with CanGap’s FREE gap year orientation event, Gap Year Launch. Taking place in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary September 13th and 14th. See schedule, dates and locations at www.cangap.ca/launch. 

It’s the perfect event to meet other gappers, mentors, attend valuable workshops and panels and have SO MUCH FUN! 

Topics Discussed

  • Why September is one of the most challenging times for Gappers. 
  • The Top 3 Challenges faced during this time and ways to mitigate them. 
  • Gap Year Launch!! CanGap’s FREE Gap Year Orientation Event happening in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary both In-Person and Virtual. See schedule, dates and locations at www.cangap.ca/launch 

 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

 

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How to Support your Kid’s Wacky Idea

Saturday Jul 22, 2023

Saturday Jul 22, 2023

Has your young person ever had the idea of starting their own business, launching a youtube channel, or making a living out of their hobby and you’re not sure how to support them? Well, this episode is for you! Michelle shares her top 4 tips on how to support them in making their project ideas come alive in a way that will teach them skills and life lessons regardless of the success of the project.

To top it all off - CanGap is launching an amazing FREE program for those change-makers and resume builders, spots are limited so make sure you listen for all the details!

Topics Discussed

  • We are living in a generation of changemakers who see the world and their purpose differently than before. 
  • Michelle’s top 4 tips on supporting your kid on this exciting journey that will allow them to develop transferable skills. 
  • Details on CanGap’s new and upcoming FREE program where participants are matched with a project coach and $1000 grant to get the project operational! 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

 

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2SLGBTQ+ Considerations for a Gap Year (a starting place)

Friday Jun 30, 2023

Friday Jun 30, 2023

Are you a gapper or do you have a gapping kid part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community? You are not alone and this episode is for you! A gap year is truly the perfect time for self-discovery, growth, gaining confidence and finding supportive communities (like us at CanGap!). 

 

Michelle shares valuable resources and special considerations for travel and when looking at programs.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Gap Years are tools for mental health and self discovery, an amazing opportunity to redefine who you are after leaving your high school experience. This is your time to set up your life for  the next step. 
  • Special considerations for travel, navigating obstacles and resources that will make this easier. 
  • Resources for parents and allies of the 2SLGBTQ+ community 

 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

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Why Travel and Experiential Programs are Critical in 2023 with Carpe Diem’s ED, Adam

Friday May 19, 2023

Friday May 19, 2023

In today’s episode, we had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Carpe Diem’s ED, Adam! Such a kindred spirit who shares his experience with travel and experiential programs. 

Together, Michelle and Adam dive deep into the key skills that youth are missing whether that’s because of gaps created from the pandemic or the pressures of family and society. Exploring how experiential experiences play a valuable role in rebuilding these skills and putting your young person one step closer to finding their values, passions and interests. 

Take a listen! 

Topics Discussed

  • Learn more about Carpe Diem’s and Global Routes Programs
  • Benefits of Gap Years, Experiential Learning and Travel
  • The importance of self-exploration and finding your values, interests and passions. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

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The 3 Most Challenging Times of Year for Gappers

Friday May 05, 2023

Friday May 05, 2023

Taking a gap year can be a roller coaster of emotion and experiences. It's full of highs and lows, and each experience gives the gapper so many opportunities to learn and grow.

In today’s episode, Michelle explores the 3 key times during the gap year process where gappers really struggle, when you can expect to have these challenges, what you can do to reduce the strain along with sharing a ton of amazing CanGap resources that will support your young person! 

Take a listen! 

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Unserious Careers - How taking time to figure it out pays off in health, happiness and success

Friday Apr 14, 2023

Friday Apr 14, 2023

What comes to mind when you hear the word Career? Does it evoke feelings of fear, anxiousness or overwhelm? Do you perceive it as a one time decision and then you’re locked in for the next 40, 50 maybe even 60 years?! Well, what if we told you that careers don’t have to be so serious, in fact unserious careers will actually lead you to become  healthier, happier and a more successful version of yourself.

 

On today’s episode we invited the lovely Alana Kilmartin, author of “Unserious Careers” who dives deep into the importance of self-exploration and experiential learning. Reflecting on her own career journey and how gap years were instrumental in helping her discover her true passions, take a listen! 

 

Topics Discussed

  • Alana’s personal journey of writing her book, Unserious Careers.
  • The importance of having transparent conversations with parents/guardians around expectations (which oftentimes may be different than what you think!) 
  • The reality of today is that career paths are not linear, and while this may seem daunting - it’s a beautiful opportunity for people to explore a variety of their interests. 
  • Always progressing to the “next step” will not necessarily move your career in the right direction, instead getting clarity about what you actually want to do will accelerate you to where you want to go.
  • The difference between taking a year off and and taking a gap year - how can you make the most of this time.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

  • Check out Alana’s Book “Unserious Careers” https://www.unseriouscareers.com/

 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

 

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Talking to your Teen about Taking a Gap Year

Friday Mar 31, 2023

Friday Mar 31, 2023

Most parents would think that if they offered their teenager an opportunity to take a gap year, they would say yes in a heartbeat! Imagine all of the exciting adventures, learning opportunities and the ability to earn some extra money - what's not to love! Well, to your surprise, some teenagers are actually reluctant to take a gap year, even if they may not be 100% ready for higher education. 

Today’s episode is jam packed with tons of great advice from Michelle! We dive straight into the top 3 reasons why your teen may be opposed to taking a gap year, what post-secondary readiness looks like, plus a walkthrough of how you can approach this conversation to get your teen on board! 

Take a listen! 

Topics Discussed

  • What are parents reaching out and talking to CanGap about?
  • The top 3 reasons why teenagers are hesitant to take a gap year (some of these may surprise you!) 
  • How to have productive conversations with your young person that will encourage them to think about pursuing a gap year. 
  • The 6 factors of post-secondary readiness - and having your teen use this as a benchmark to assess whether they are ready for higher education. 
  • Action steps to take to make them feel confident about pursuing a gap year. 

 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

 

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What skill deficits exist for teens in 2023 - Jay Gosselin and Michelle Dittmer share their observations

Friday Mar 03, 2023

Friday Mar 03, 2023

In today’s episode we invite the fabulous Jay Gosselin from Discover Year, a certified Canadian post-secondary program that fosters confidence, resilience and equips students with the skills they need to succeed in their transition from adolescence into adulthood through their one-year life skills program. 

We all know the pandemic was a rocky time for everyone, but Michelle and Jay unpack the many areas where youth were impacted and ultimately the skills deficits resulting from this.  They also dive deeper into how gap years are the perfect way to build on these skills to help young people get back on track! 

Take a listen! 

Topics Discussed

  • The major setbacks and obstacles faced by youth including social and mental health issues. 
  • How such issues have become barriers for youth to make an effective transitions from adolescence to young adulthood
  • The challenges with having difficult conversations with your young person and CanGap resources that you can tap into. 
  • How discover year through experiential learning and exceptional mentor support helps the development of critical soft skills that students are missing 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

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Fear is running your kids life and what you can do about it

Friday Feb 17, 2023

Friday Feb 17, 2023

Do you ever wonder what’s holding your young person back from applying for that job, trying out for the sports team or even asking that person out? 

Well, in today’s episode, Michelle unpacks this powerful underlying emotion of fear. She walks us through how and why fear overwhelms teenagers when they are faced with making decisions. 

As always, Michelle shares real-life tips on how to have the proper conversation with your teenager on overcoming their fear, and provides insight on how to make this effective on your young person. Take a listen! 

 

Topics Discussed

  • The powerful emotion of fear and its impact on your teens performance. 
  • Why are teenagers feeling so overwhelmed and nervous about their future? 
  • Understanding concepts of rejection and uncertainty, and how they factor in on your young person’s decision making.
  • Identifying fear in terms of its 3 zone zones, comfort, challenge and overwhelm and tips to navigate through these. 
  • Advice and resources on how to lead conversations about overcoming fears with you teen
  • How to support and show up for your young person during this transitional stage of their life.  

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

 

  • Gap Year Coaching 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

 

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The Top 3 Parental Concerns about taking a Gap Year

Friday Dec 30, 2022

Friday Dec 30, 2022

We asked parents about their biggest concerns with their young person taking a gap year, and across the board their top 3 answers were: 

  1. My teen will waste their time.
  2. Various financial concerns. 
  3. My teen will face loneliness and isolation. 

Want to know who else had the same exact concerns? Gappers! 

As parents, it’s important to recognize that things that are concerning you are also concerning your young person. So, in this episode, Michelle, gap year and parenting expert,walks through how to bridge this communication gap and allow parents and gappers to work together to curate a gap year plan that will serve and benefit them. 

This episode is packed with tons of valuable planning and financial resources that you can tap into to help support you and your young person through this exhilarating gap year journey! 

Step into 2023 equipped with all of the advice and resources you need to help your teen pursue a successful gap year! 

And, don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, you don’t want to miss out on all of the amazing tips and advice brought to you by our gap year experts! 

Topics Discussed

  • What are the top 3 concerns for parents and gappers? 
  • The value of creating a gap year plan in collaboration with your teen and resources that will support this.
  • The importance of setting expectations before a gap year, and what some expectations may look like. 
  • Exploring the fact that Gap Years are an investment in your young person’s life (just like post-secondary education!) along with what are programs that you should invest in. 
  • Unpacking the Money Freedom Paradox and the benefits for teens to be working more full-time positions
  • Resources to tap into to prevent your gapper from being isolated during their gap year
  • Exciting program launching for PARENTS that you do not want to miss out on! 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

 

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