Indigenous, migrant, and refugee youth in B.C. have been displaced not only from their geographic homelands, but also from their ancestral, cultural, and spiritual roots. Their schoolmates and teachers often have little or no understanding of what it’s like to be forcibly uprooted from everything they know and how that pain continues to be felt for generations.

In 2017, we received an application from the Access to Media Education Society to bring together Indigenous and newcomer youth to explore the causes and consequences of displacement and resettlement. The program aims to dispel myths and challenge systematic racism. Our Education Advisors agreed this was a good idea.

Donors like you made possible at $75K grant that enabled Indigenous, migrant and refugee youth to create short videos that brought to light the untold stories of youth that have been left out of the picture. The program sparked dialogue, increased awareness, and infused the education system with thought-provoking content that illuminates the realities of these populations. 

Over the past five years, the Education foucs area has provided support to a a range of leading charities including: Vancouver Island University, Simon Fraser University, various School Districts, Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education, Ecotrust Canada, Abbotsford Restorative Justice Association, UVIC, and Family Supports Institute of BC, among others.