youngest group of prospective students,
beginning in kindergarten through Grade
12. The Indigenous-led not-for-profit orga-
nization invests in the education of aborigi-
nal people for long-term benefit, working
with students in remote communities and
urban centres across Canada. Financial
challenges are the No. 1 barrier to post-
secondary education and to date, Indspire
has awarded $79 million through bursaries
and scholarships to students.
They currently have about 35 commu-
nity-led projects underway designed to
enhance the educational outcome of stu-
dents as they work towards secondary
school graduation. Among their innovative
resources is the K-12 Indspire Institute,
which is a virtual resource centre that con-
nects educators working with Indigenous
students with the programs, information
and tools they need to increase high school
completion rates.
Last fall, Indspire announced a new part-
nership with Rio Tinto, a global leader in
mining and processing essential metals
and minerals. The company will provide
$1 million over four years to Indspire’s
Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Schol-
arships, and Awards program.
JANUARY 2016
H
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