Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Photo retrieved from: <https://charityvillage.com/app/job-listings/4fcd6034-4c3c-e911-80da-14187768272a?search=true>
This week, ReconciliAction YEG is discussing how government and not-for-profit actors have responded to systemic barriers facing Indigenous children. Two days will relate to the actions taken by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, and two days will discuss Bills C-92 and Bill 22. Today, we discuss Indspire, a not-for-profit dedicated to closing the education gap for Indigenous people in Canada.
Indspire describes itself as “a national Indigenous-led registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.”[1] Roberta Jamieson herself, the CEO and President of Indspire, has spoken against philanthropy in general as part of a colonial approach, saying that “[a]ny approach that starts out with the premise of ‘helping the Indians’ to participate in our society is not that much different than a government which decides...that what we really need are residential schools...What we really require is respect and space to determine our own future - to make our own decisions as Indigenous peoples.”[2]
Instead, she puts forward a vision for spoke of her vision for the organization that is
…all about reciprocity. Of course, we raise funds and millions of dollars annually and have provided 80 million dollars through 25,000 bursaries so that Indigenous students can realize their potential as Indigenous people. We've never thought of this as philanthropy, nor do the students think of themselves as recipients of benevolence. Rather, it is pure reciprocity. We support indigenous students so that they can realize their immense potential to achieve for their own wellbeing and that of their families, their communities, their nations, Canada, and the world. Indigenous students implicitly understand the reciprocity that is involved here: the obligation they accept as recipients - the obligation to keep the cycle of giving moving. [3]
Indspire describes the education gap faced by Indigenous children and youth with some key facts, including that four out of ten on-reserve youth graduate Grade 12 compared to nine out of ten for non-Indigenous youth, 44% of Indigenous people attain a post-secondary credential compared to 63% of non-Indigenous people, and the Canadian Gross Domestic Product would increase by $261 billion by 2031 if the education gap for Indigenous students was closed.[4] To fill this gap, Indspire partners with private and public sector donors to “disburse financial awards, deliver programs, and share resources...”[5] Indspire operates a K-12 Institute that provides virtual education resources to help improve kindergarten to Grade 12 education in Indigenous communities, awards millions of dollars through thousands of post-secondary scholarships, and hosts the annual nationally-televised Indspire Awards to celebrate the achievements of Indigenous people. [6]
Roberta Jamieson, the CEO and President of Indspire, was promoted as an Officer within the Order of Canada in 2016, “particularly for her work to improve funding, access and opportunity for Indigenous youth in the area of education. Roberta Jamieson has devoted her life to advancing the goals and aspirations of Indigenous peoples across Canada. She is a lawyer, mentor, expert in non-adversarial conflict resolution, [and] former elected chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory…” [7] Jamieson is a Mohawk woman and the first First Nation woman to graduate from law school in Canada. [8] Under her leadership, “Indspire’s annual disbursements of bursaries and scholarships to support Indigenous students in post-secondary education have increased sevenfold”. [9] Indspire also launched the K-12 Institute during her tenure. [10]
Indspire is filling in the gap in Indigenous education in a way that is focused on decolonization, reciprocity, and relationships. Under the leadership of Roberta Jamieson, Indspire is building stronger, sustainable, and more autonomous Indigenous people, families, communities, and nations. ReconciliAction YEG recommends learning more about this terrific organization here.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] “About Indspire”, Indspire (2019), online: <https://indspire.ca/about-indspire/>.
[2] Roberta Jamieson, "How to decolonize Indigenous philanthropy", The Walrus (4 December 2015), YouTube video, at 3:50-4:37, online: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK-O3nwZrFU>.
[3] Roberta Jamieson, "How to decolonize Indigenous philanthropy", The Walrus (4 December 2015), YouTube video, at 8:54-10:16, online: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK-O3nwZrFU>.
[4] “Six Facts About Indigenous Education in Canada”, Indspire (2019), online: <https://indspire.ca/about-indspire/indigenous-education-facts/>; Matthew Calver, “Closing the Aboriginal Education Gap in Canada: The Impact on Employment, GDP, and Labour Productivity”, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, Number 28, Spring 2015, at 43.
[5] Supra, note 1.
[6] Ibid.
[7] “Ms. Roberta L. Jamieson, O.C.”, The Governor General of Canada, accessed 17 March 2019, online: <http://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-3945>.
[8] “CEO & The Media”, Indspire (2019), online: <https://indspire.ca/about-indspire/>.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
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