Students participating in School District No. 57’s (SD57) Indigenous welcoming and graduation ceremony – known as Ts’udelhti – will be eligible to receive bursaries from Canadian Tire and the Prince George Native Friendship Centre (PGNFC).
Canadian Tire’s Prince George store is sponsoring four bursaries, each in the amount of $500, while the PGNFC is sponsoring one bursary in the same amount.
“Having support like this from Canadian Tire is amazing,” said SD57 Indigenous Education’s Lance Potskin, one of the organizers of Ts’udelhti.
“Owner Selen Alpay, General Manager Dave Shuvera and their team have always gone above and beyond for us here and I can't thank them enough. Being able to provide students with some extra help in achieving their goals and dreams is what our department is all about.”
The Canadian Tire bursaries focus on four directions, seasons and life cycles.
They will be awarded to students who demonstrate leadership qualities and excellence in:
- Strength of Mind (North) – Student who has shown great academic growth and determination in their studies
- Strength of Spirit (South) – Student who is connected to their culture
- Strength of Heart (East) – Student who has supported others and displays emotional intelligence and resiliency
- Strength of Body – Student who has shown great commitment and determination to better themselves or others in athletics
The PGNFC bursary will go to a student who began their educational path in the organization's Head Start (pre-Kindergarten) program, which is designed to meet the spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical needs of children.
For the second annual Ts’udelhti, which means We Honour in Dakelh Lheidli dialect, SD57 Indigenous Education is making a video that will seek to capture the spirit of a live ceremony. The video will be released online at a specific time in late June to the families of participating high school graduates and incoming Kindergarten students.
You can click here to apply or to nominate an individual for the Canadian Tire Four Directions Bursary and click here to apply for the Prince George Native Friendship Centre Head Start Graduate Bursary.
The closing date for the Canadian Tire and PGNFC bursaries is Monday, June 15.
