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.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

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

• Get support to light up your gap year! Book a free 30-min call: https://www.cangap.ca/call

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

• Find more resources at the Can Gap website https://www.cangap.ca/

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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?

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Post-Secondary Readiness

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

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. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Mentioned Podcast Episode “Alum Series: Alex & Rhys - Becoming Friends and Making Progress”  

• Check out Discover Year! 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

• Find more resources at the Can Gap website https://www.cangap.ca/

• Follow on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/cangapassociation/

• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ucangap

• Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/ucangap

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. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Gap Year Coaching 

• How to Talk so your Teens Listen, How to Listen so your Teens Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlich 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

• Find more resources at the Can Gap website https://www.cangap.ca/

• Follow on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/cangapassociation/

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.

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? 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Episode 87: Teen Brain Science

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alumni all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

• Find more resources at the Can Gap website https://www.cangap.ca/

• Follow on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/cangapassociation/

• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ucangap

• Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/ucangap

• Follow on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuBit8gLXEOxaBggoGmykjQ

As a parent you always want the best for your teen, but sometimes it’s hard to see eye to eye on what the “best” is with your young person. If you want to better understand why your teen thinks and makes the decisions they do, along with why this particular stage of life is so challenging, then you do not want to miss this episode! 

Michelle dives deep into the science behind it all and connects the dots between your teens actions and the support they need at this stage of life. This episode is packed with valuable information that will help you understand your young person and be able to better support them through this exciting yet uncomfortable transition from adolescence into adulthood. 

Take a listen! 

Topics Discussed

• The science behind an adolescent’s brain development, when do our teens actually become adults?

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Parent Programs

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alumni all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

Imagine if there was a website that would match you to the perfect post-secondary institution, program, scholarships and career path that is just right for you! Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? 

Well, you’re in luck because in today’s episode we invited the amazing Logan Bright from SchoolFinder and Scholarships Canada who walks us through how students can utilise these phenomenal resources to take the stress off of post-secondary research and help them effectively find the most relevant information. 

And, to all the gappers tuning in, Logan actually took a gap year himself! He spent his time dedicated to gaining work experience, personal growth and even filming and starring in his own movie! 

Tune in, you don’t want to miss out on this one! 

Topics Discussed

• Meet Logan Bright from SchoolFinder and ScholarshipCanada and learn about how you can be matched with your perfect post-secondary school, programs, scholarships and career path.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• SchoolFinder

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

We all know post-secondary education is very expensive and a huge financial burden that students have to carry. Thank goodness for scholarships!. However, looking for scholarships, writing  beautifully crafted applications and effectively communicating your skills can be challenging! But don’t worry, in today’s episode we invited scholarship expert Janet MacDonald from MyCampusGPS, who shares her incredible insight on the scholarship process and how you can be a successful candidate. 

Janet and Michelle also dive further to unpack the greater value besides the money and how scholarships can become a tool you can leverage to make you a better job candidate and land those dream positions. 

Topics Discussed

• Meet Janet MacDonald from MyCampusGPS and learn about the helpful resources she provides students. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• https://www.mycampusgps.ca/ 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

• Find more resources at the Can Gap website https://www.cangap.ca/

• Follow on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/cangapassociation/

• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ucangap

• Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/ucangap

• Follow on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuBit8gLXEOxaBggoGmykjQ

In today’s episode we invited the incredible Brelan, a CanGap alum who dedicated her gap year to self-growth, becoming financially savvy and going on some epic adventures! She was able to accomplish this (and much more!) by using the Gap Year Gameplan and leveraging the pillars, resources and expert support to make her gap year EPIC! 

Tune in to hear all about Brelan’s exciting journey and why taking a gap year is truly a step in the right direction to grow, gain invaluable skills and make a lifetime of memories. 

Topics Discussed

• What compelled Brelan about CanGap and why she chose the Gap Year Gameplan Program. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Gap Year Gameplan 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect

• Find more resources at the Can Gap website https://www.cangap.ca/

• Follow on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/cangapassociation/

• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ucangap

• Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/ucangap

• Follow on YouTube 

• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuBit8gLXEOxaBggoGmykjQ

Finding a job, education and credentialing look very different to what it has been in the past. Ever since entering the digital era, the metaverse, digital badges and micro credentials have taken things by storm, and are something that you do not want to miss out on! 

In today’s episode, Michelle dives deep into the world of digital badges. What they are, where you can earn them and how to display them so you can tap into valuable networks and get connected with the right people. 

The best part is that CanGap offers digital badges and credentials for gappers! We’ll walk you through our internationally recognized Student of Leadership and Humanity Award, and how you can validate the learning that happens on your gap year! 

Topics Discussed

• Exploring the Metaverse! What is it, how can you take advantage of it and how is it relevant to your gap year. 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Student of Leadership and Humanity Award 

Connect With The Canadian Gap Year Association

• Join “Gapper Connect” on Discord to connect with students thinking about a gap year, current Gappers, and alum all in one place! https://www.cangap.ca/gapperconnect