The Path to Education.
The Kw’umut Lelum Indspire Awards for Indigenous youth helps remove barriers to education.
These Awards support youth from our nine member nations on Vancouver Island to access life-changing post-secondary educational opportunities that may otherwise have been out of reach.
Get inspired by the stories of some of our recent award winners below.
Kaitlyn McMahon-White (Snuneymuxw)
“It doesn’t matter how long or which path you took to complete your goals all that matters is that you did it! Walking in two worlds is not an easy thing to do but I believe that we as Indigenous peoples are so resilient and we have so much to offer even to those who are teaching us at post-secondary.”
Kaden Wigard (Penelakut)
“Remember everyone around you at post-secondary is experiencing the same things so don’t be afraid to reach out to them. Make some new friends or try a new activity, don’t be afraid to expand your horizons and be yourself.”
Jaxxen Wylie (Stz’uminus)
“My favourite part of post-secondary is gaining the knowledge and skills I will need to be a strong legal advocate for our communities. I would like to start my own practice helping in the translations between Canadian Law and Indigenous Law to aid in reconciliation efforts and carve out jurisdiction for our peoples to sustain ourselves and create optimistic circumstances for the younger generations to come.”
Brin Wylie (Stz’uminus)
“If you have the chance, use your life experience to inform your learning. Being able to connect the content to real life scenarios could support your practice in the future, you may surprise yourself with how much you already know.”
Diana James (Lyackson)
“One piece of advice I would give to Indigenous youth from my community would be to stay in school. Education opens so many doors and can help build confidence. With education, you can achieve personal and professional goals. Education is the key to change for Indigenous people.”
Kieran Kalls Rice (Snuneymuxw)
“Do not be hard on yourself, and do not listen if they say you can’t, or aren’t smart enough, to do it.”
Hailey Josephson (Snuneymuxw First Nation)
“The Kw’umut Lelum Indspire Award has allowed me to pour my heart and soul into my last year of internship and take massive stress off by easing the financial burden of unpaid internships. The gratitude that I have for this Award is not something I can sufficiently express through words, but I hope to convey it by giving back to my community in the near future.”
Lana Harris (Stz’uminus First Nation)
“I always knew in my heart I wanted to achieve my degree goal. I had to overcome my fear of failure and I was determined to change my strategies for learning. The Kw’umut Lelum Indspire Award gave me the confidence to know in my heart how important it was to complete my degree. I felt so honored to have such a wonderful Award and so grateful.”