Self-identified First Nations, Inuit and Métis students from YRDSB learned more about post-secondary opportunities at an event held in partnership with the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (APSIP).
APSIP is a collective of recruitment representatives from over 30 Colleges, Universities and First Nations, Inuit and Métis learning institutes from Ontario and Quebec that annually facilitates a 12-week post-secondary education tour. The event offered students the opportunity to learn about a variety of future programs, pathways and accommodations for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students, and provided information about bursaries, grants and scholarships.
Students had the chance to meet with education and engagement officers as well as representatives from Indigenous engagement offices from over 16 organizations to learn about the programs available to them. Students reported feeling better informed about their potential future pathways, feeling prepared to begin applying to post-secondary institutions.
“Coming here today helped me to think of more things I can do to help prepare for post-secondary, and gave me more options to think about,” said Zoui, Grade 10 student. “I would definitely recommend this to other Indigenous students, especially since there are so many accommodations and you can get so much help within Indigenous communities.”
“Events like this help to expose our students to the wide variety of post-secondary opportunities available to them,” said Kyle Herbert, YRDSB First Nations, Metis and Inuit Consultant. “Learning about First Nations, Inuit and Métis pathways from First Nations, Inuit and Métis people personalizes the experience for these students and allows them to see themselves reflected in higher education.”
“It was pretty helpful to learn about some options that I already had in mind and get some references for whom I can call and email to help me set me off on the right foot,” said Grade 9 student. “It gave me more options and reasons to go to certain schools because it taught me about the different benefits and resources that different schools offer. It’s reassuring to know that those benefits are there for Indigenous students.