Discover. Adapt. Empower. Belong.

What if one gap-year experience could change the course of your life forever? What if one adventure could help you forge lifelong connections, leave a meaningful impact on the world, and totally transform your skills, lifestyle and sense of direction once you return home? Gen Z Fiji is so immersive that you don’t just visit Fiji, you become a part of it and it becomes a part of you.

Why is this the perfect Gen Z Adventure?

We hear it again and again: Gen Z doesn’t want a touristy holiday where fun comes at the cost of local people and ecosystems. All our Gen Z adventures are designed to be authentic, community-based travel experiences that are socially and environmentally conscious —aligning with what research shows Gen Z travellers value most. Here are just a few ways this expedition aligns with Gen Z’s values:

• Authentic Community Experiences: Gen Z craves authenticity of experience, particularly through immersion in the local community. On this expedition, you’ll spend time living and working alongside the Mataqali Natiliva community of Nanumi Au. Your welcoming hosts will teach about how Fijians maintain a strong sense of community while you give back by supporting the village’s community projects.

• Commitment to Sustainability: Gen Z is famously mindful of its environmental impact and wants travel options that align with its values. This expedition integrates our pioneering World Bound Climate Change Curriculum and Leave No Trace Principles, alongside volunteer projects like designing eco-friendly structures, practicing permaculture, and more.

• Personal Growth: Travel for Gen Z is more than relaxation—it’s about self-discovery, leadership, and gaining new skills. All of our courses incorporate leadership training, outdoor skills development, and self-reflection activities to help young people find confidence and direction in their lives back home. In Fiji, you’ll learn from mentors and local leaders who are passionate about sustainability, leadership, and community development. Their stories, skills, and guidance will shape your understanding of the world.

• Unique Adventure and Exploration: Gone are the days of cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all tourism. Our expeditions are always changing so we can push the limits of out-of-the-box itineraries. In Fiji, we’ll scuba dive, learn traditional Fijian hunter-gatherer skills, visit uninhabited islands, kayak through mangrove forests, and so much more!

COURSE DATES (28 days):
27–Aug 21 and Sep 01–28
AGES 18- 30 (co-ed)
LOCATIONS: Fiji 

PRICES (CAD)
Regular Price: $8800.00 + GST
*Minimum 8. Max 12 to run

Includes:
– Pre-course check-in (zoom conference with attendees)
–  Direct contact with our Duke of Edinburgh Award Centre
– 24/7 instruction & support by instructors/mentors
– Most meals
– All accommodation (dorm, glamping,  tenting, homestay)
– Private ground transportation
– Flight coordination (flight not included) for Fiji
– Group camping equipment
– Admission into all activities based on itinerary

Does not include: Flights to and from Fiji, anything not mentioned above.

More info: office@firesideadventures.ca

Photo: Nature Bro – John Surendra / Pacific Ark. Click to enlarge.

A three-stage plan to transform your life

ACT 1: Foundations of Community & Leadership: surrounded by an all-star cast of mentors at your Fireside Home Base, you’ll dive head-first into an intensive “complete a climate change adaptation and community enhancement course built on social justice, Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and food sovereignty. You’ll gain skills that are relevant for post-secondary education and future travel. But more than that you’ll gain perspective about your role in this world, the impact of meaningful relationships and how to navigate your future. Oh, and you’ll become fluent in the ways of Fiji, bula bula and vinaka.

ACT 2: Immersive Community Projects + Roots of Civil Engineering in Sustainable Design (Vanua Levu: agroforestry, coral gardening, Existing Ridge to Reef Project)

ACT 3: THE GREAT BEYOND: Lifelong Connections and Opportunities: Fireside Adventures has been going strong for 20 years. Our mission has always been to "create a summer experience that never ends"... community is the key. This trip is only the beginning. From university & job applications to karaoke parties & wedding speeches… Jeff, Barnsy and the Firside gang have your back. We are here to place the tools in your hands to live a healthy, successful and fulfilling life as an adult.

Meet Your Mentors

Hi there! We’re not just tour guides, we’re the leaders of Fireside Adventures, Pacific Ark, and Nanumi Au themselves: Jeff, Arno, Jen, and Koli. Just like you, we were once young adults swept away on epic gap years and adventures. Gen Z is a labour of love to create the best Gen Z experience possible!

Course Itinerary

Gen Z Fiji is uniquely designed to deliver an immersive and skills-oriented experience. Check out the full breakdown of what’s included with tuition, and feel free to compare with others. We believe you’ll find this course to be exceptional in both value and experience.

Ok… so why Fiji? 

• Fiji is becoming one of the South Pacific and Oceania’s best landing pads for young people looking for travel & gap years. 

• It’s a hotbed for opportunities to build climate change-based skills with genuine local and universal relevance.

• Home to the most open communities, immersive culture, amazing people, and breathtaking landscapes.

• The ideal place for young people to develop their character and self-efficacy…. backpack adventuring, community service projects, and endless comfort-zone-expanding moments, all at your fingertips. 

• Because of Jen, Koli, Arno, and the incredible communities Fireside has been welcomed into connection with people and nature makes our world a more meaningful home.

Why should I even do a gap experience?
For generations, young people have taken the chance, saved up their money, taken gap years and gone backpacking to far-off and amazing places. Why? To connect with new cultures, discover who they are and give themself an enriching experiential form of learning.

What’s different from previous generations is that young people care more than ever about truly unplugging and finding a raw sense of belonging & meaning that isn’t available in the modern hustle and bustle. Fiji is where the magic lives on.

Why This Matters for Gen Z
This course is uniquely designed to meet the needs of Generation Z—a generation facing unprecedented challenges posed by climate change. By combining experiential learning with outdoor skills, climate education, and team-building principles, participants will gain:

• The confidence to adapt and thrive in uncertain conditions.

• Practical tools to build and sustain resilient communities.

• A deeper understanding of how to balance individual growth with global responsibility.

This first stage of the course lays the groundwork for empowered leadership, meaningful collaboration, and action-oriented learning—ensuring participants leave with a strong sense of purpose and capability to navigate the world ahead.

Newly planted mangrove saplings to protect a small island from beach erosion. Photo: Nature Bro – John Surendra / Pacific Ark

Photos: our partner Suncoast Adventures. Click to enlarge.

Photos: Jeff / Fireside Adventures. Click to enlarge.

Photos: our partner Suncoast Adventures. Click to enlarge.

“Nanumi Au is an Eco Village located in Navutulevu, on the land of our Mataqali Natiliva community. We focus on building community and regenerating the land. We understand many want true adventure (outside of typical tourism, resorts and hotels) and to meet the locals so we work closely with our village and local businesses to create a unique, fun, authentic and eco-aware experience.”

Nanumi Au translates to “Remember Me”, because everyone who leaves Fiji leaves with Fiji etched in their mind, soul and spirit

Vinaka vaka levu,
Jennifer and Kolinio Samuta,
Co-founders of Nanumi Au Eco-village

Photo: Cédric Jean-Baptist / ATTA

Village activities at Nanumi Au include:

• Hunting and gathering (Twice a week – including 1 market trip, 1 island trip) – for a ocean/paddock to plate experience BUT also this is what the men and women in the village do to feed their families (all seafood caught will be eaten during the week and excess shared with the village)

• Traditional Fijian cooking experience (meals cooked daily by the village women in the communal kitchen and small lovo cooked every Friday night by the men, which provides a hands on experience – leads to the final celebratory LOVO FEAST)

• Weaving classes (pandanus to mat)

• Medicinal garden learnings

• Udre Udre Cannibal chief tomb visit

• Vuli meke (cultural dance lessons) – leads to the final celebratory MEKE NIGHT

• Hike to Vodovodo

• River  and Mangrove forest tour by paddle board/kayak

• LOVO FEAST + MEKE Night (Ceremony + celebration with the village)

Photo: Kristen Kellogg / ATTA