Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada and Indspire Announce Exciting New Partnership
October 23, 2020 – Ohsweken, ON.
Indspire, in association with Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada (BBBSC), is pleased to announce the establishment of a very special partnership rooted in the power of mentorship.
Indspire’s Rivers to Success (R2S) mentorship program is teaming up with BBBSC to bring innovative new mentoring supports to young people and their mentors across the country through a virtual event series. Sponsored by TD, The Barry + Laurie Green Family Charitable Trust, and the Slaight Family Foundation, the R2S program features a ground-breaking blend of free online Indigenous mentorship and cultural resources for Indigenous high school and post-secondary students. Its three streams – High School, Post-Secondary, and Career Transition – are designed to support Indigenous students at different phases of their education.
‘Indspire and Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada understand that mentors play a key role in the future success of youth,’ said Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire.
‘Bringing together mentors from both organizations in a more formalized, Indigenous-focused setting, this collaboration will ultimately help ensure the sustained success of more First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students as they graduate and go on to become the leaders of tomorrow.’
With its longstanding tradition of enabling life-changing mentoring relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people, BBBSC is a natural partner for R2S on this mentorship journey. In 2019, it impacted over 41,000 youth in over 1100 communities across Canada through its unique programs and has provided empowering one-on-one and group mentorship for Canadian youth since 1912.
‘At BBBSC, we are pleased to partner with Indspire in sharing the value of promoting the potential of youth through mentorship. We look forward to collaborating with Indspire to explore how we can best support our agencies to create safe, inclusive and impactful programs for Indigenous young people, as well as Black and racialized youth.’- Matthew W. Chater, President and CEO, BBBSC.
Mentorship is at the heart of many groundbreaking educational initiatives and is particularly important to Indigenous communities; Indigenous mentors are valued and valuable sources of insight, wisdom, and good guidance for Indigenous students. Future plans for the partnership include innovative webinars, online events, and the production of joint resources to benefit mentors and mentees in both organizations.
The Indspire team is very excited to be embarking on this journey with BBBSC and foresees a long and mutually fruitful collaboration.
For more information about BBBSC mentorship, please contact Norah Whitfield, Vice President Network Development and Member Services: norah.whitfield@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca. For more information about the R2S program – or to sign up – please email rivers@indspire.ca or click here.
About Indspire
Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. With the support of its funding partners, Indspire provides financial awards, delivers programs and shares resources so that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students will achieve their highest potential. Anchored by its mission and mandate, Indspire’s North Star vision is that, within a generation, every Indigenous student will graduate. In 2019-2020, Indspire provided over $17.8 million through 5,124 bursaries and scholarships to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across Canada. For more information, visit indspire.ca.
Nick Foglia
Vice President, Communications & Marketing
(416) 987-0260 / (416) 710-6070
nfoglia@indspire.ca
indspire.ca
About Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides one-on-one and group mentoring services for more than 40,000 children and youth in 1,100 communities across Canada. Many young people face adversities in their lives, resulting in toxic stress that can negatively impact their development. With the support of a mentor, young people can overcome these adversities and develop the confidence to reach their full potential. Our mentors are adults who create a positive developmental relationship with a young person, expressing care, showing support, challenging growth, sharing power and expanding possibilities. Learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada here.
Marie-Lauren Gregoire Drummond
National Director, Marketing and Communications
1-800-263-9133 ext. 47
marie-lauren.gregoiredrummond@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca
bigbrothersbigsisters.ca
