Pathways to Education Canada Archives - Johnson Scholarship Foundation

This article was originally written by our grantee partner, Pathways to Education Canada. It is shared here with permission.

After graduating from Pathways Winnipeg in 2018, Say Pa was committed to giving back to the program that supported her throughout high school. By staying connected as a Pathways tutor, she heard about an alumni event that helped her meet a whole network of Pathways Winnipeg graduates. The sense of community inspired Say Pa to become a Student Parent Support Worker (SPSW), and most recently she joined the Alumni Ambassador program to create similar moments of connection for her peers.

When Say Pa reflects on the Pathways Program’s impact on her life, the first thing that comes to mind is the community it’s brought her. In 2019, Say Pa attended an alumni event where she connected with many cohorts of Pathways Winnipeg graduates. Say Pa was already involved as a tutor at her local program location after graduation, but hearing other students’ experiences in the program reaffirmed her decision to take on an expanded role. She applied to become a Student Parent Support Worker, a dedicated staff member who helps students receive the same support that she had at Pathways.

“Pathways is my family—they’ve given so much to me that I want to give back,” Say Pa shares. “I want to give students the same feeling of belonging I received. Hopefully, one day, they’ll give back too.”

Say Pa’s dedication to helping others spans back to her childhood experience moving to Canada from Thailand. Initially a shy student, she credits the encouraging Pathways staff she had in high school for helping bring her out of her shell. Today, she’s working alongside those very same mentors to create a robust support system for other Winnipeg youth.

“I don’t want students to ever feel alone. In this community in the North End, young people are very vulnerable. I was born in a refugee camp due to the civil war in Myanmar, so I know what it feels like to have nothing,” Say Pa explains. “I just want to be that person in their life who they know will be there to listen to them, or if they need help at school, they trust that I will find a solution with them.”

With the return to in-person programming post-pandemic, Say Pa’s focused on bringing back opportunities for face-to-face connection, not just for current students—but for program alumni as well. Inspired by the event that started it all for her, Say Pa recently started volunteering as a Pathways Alumni Ambassador, joining a group of passionate young people from across the country who ensure that graduates stay connected to the Pathways community after graduation. Say Pa attended the Alumni Ambassador Orientation Weekend last fall, where she got the chance to connect with her fellow Alumni Ambassadors for the first time.

“It was so cool to connect and share my story with alumni from other locations. Even though the program is delivered differently in each community, we all have the same feeling toward Pathways.”

JSF supports Pathways’ National Scholarship Program, effectively increasing post-secondary participation rates among young people from low-income communities in Canada.

This article first appeared on the website of our grantee partner Pathways to Education Canada. It is shared with permission.

When students see themselves represented in role models, it helps to shape their self-belief and exposes them to a range of possible career paths—helping them to become the next generation of leaders in their own community and beyond.

Being a role model for youth was one of the reasons Claudette Lavallee wanted to work with young people when she became a Student Parent Support Worker at Pathways Winnipeg.

“I never had a voice when I was younger, and I always wished that I had somebody to support me and advocate for me,” Claudette says.

At Pathways Winnipeg, Claudette delivers relevant programming and one-on-one supports to help students overcome the barriers to education they face.

At the Winnipeg program location, 66 percent of students self-identified as Indigenous during the 2019-2020 school year—making representation of Indigenous role models essential for the youth they serve.

Last year, when social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic kept youth at home, Claudette wanted to find a way to help students cope with the anxiousness many reported feeling by creating a safe and welcoming setting virtually.

“We were trying different things to keep them involved—they were in a new environment online, but we wanted them to be able to talk with other people, to see other people.”

Claudette invited Shanley Spence—an Indigenous community advocate and public speaker—to give a virtual talk. Shanley shared how she dealt with her own anxiousness and extreme shyness growing up and gave tips on how to feel more confident.

“The students loved it. They really enjoyed her talk,” says Claudette. “I got lots of good feedback from the students and from parents and guardians as well.”

With the students engaged, Claudette began organizing weekly virtual talks with other prominent Indigenous figures, including sports team coaches, political representatives, and business leaders—all of whom had overcome their own adversities on their path to success.

Claudette also hopes to empower more students with different life experiences through the speaker series.

“We have a lot of newcomer students in the program so I’m lining up a few guest speakers who can share their experience of being a newcomer to Canada,” says Claudette.

She believes that initiatives like this speaker series are setting young people up for success by introducing them to a variety of positive role models.

“I think everybody should have somebody to look up to. Having a person there to guide you is so important, it changes people’s lives.”

Pathways to Education provides youth from low-income communities with the resources they need to graduate from high school and break the cycle of poverty.

Pathways to Education Canada: Strengthening Community Connections

Leaders of Tomorrow: How a Virtual Speaker Series at Pathways Winnipeg is Empowering Youth