MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION Niitsitapi-Graham LP and making them feel more comfortable in what can otherwise feel like an alien- ating, institutional place. The foundation delivers arts-based therapy and culture-specific after-school programming in northern communi- ties. Aglukark created the program to give Indigenous students an opportu- nity to learn more about their culture, break down educational stigmas, and to provide them with a voluntary and self-guided learning environment. “I was not a natural student, but what I learned later in life is that I processed informa- tion differently,” she says. “I needed a different environment and other ways to connect to education. That’s why I wanted to take a different approach with Arctic Rose.” Arctic Rose, MFI and Indspire are just some organizations working to engage Indigenous youth, and all three emphasize that it takes a multi-faceted approach and support from all sides to improve educational outcomes. That also means governments working with Indigenous leaders and organizations, as well as Indigenous students reaching out to new students. Canadian busi- nesses, too, need to make a stronger effort to connect and foster talent within Canada’s Indigenous communities. “Everyone has a role to play,” stresses Jamieson. “Indigenous people are still the fastest growing demographic group in Canada and on track to produce more than 130,000 Indigenous people who will be willing and able to attend school by 2023. We need to help them get there.” “The misconception that our children and youth are not interested in education is very wrong.They want to participate.They attend Arctic Rose voluntarily, they bring their friends, and they absorb everything we offer them” Susan Aglukark Arctic Rose Foundation 14 A CCAB PUBLICATION 2019