Aboriginal Youth and Education Strategy

United Way of Calgary and Area and members of the Aboriginal community are partners in bringing circles of people together to give Aboriginal youth more opportunities in school and throughout life.

Aboriginal youth face many barriers. For example, 37.3 per cent of Aboriginal youth under the age of 15 live in poverty and as of 2001, 37 per cent of Aboriginal people over 15 years old in Calgary had less than a high school education.

To address these challenges, our Aboriginal Inclusiveness Task Group developed the 10 year Aboriginal Youth and Education Strategy. Made up of Aboriginal community members and United Way staff, the task group are helping urban Aboriginal youth complete at least high school and overcome numerous social issues such as poverty, social isolation and economic insecurity.

Our goal is to remove the stigma of being “just an Aboriginal kid.” We want to strip away the burden of history, inequality and cultural fragmentation that have affected Aboriginal families and their communities.

We believe education is the key. By increasing students’ self-esteem, cultural identity and confidence, urban Aboriginal youth will have greater opportunities to complete their education and get good jobs, participate in the community and provide for their families' basic needs.

Our comprehensive solutions include:

• Coordinated community action
• Supporting Aboriginal parents
• Aboriginal Pride Programs at seven schools
• Aboriginal Pride Mentoring Program at one pilot school
• Awareness training for the entire staff at seven schools in both school systems

To find out more about our plan to to help more Aboriginal youth graduate from high school, download our brochure or download the full strategic plan.

In 2006, schools involved in United Way's Aboriginal Youth and Education Strategy reported a decrease in behavioral problems and an increase in academic performance.

Learn more about the Aboriginal You and Education Strategy's Aboriginal Pride Program and the difference we're making in the lives of Aboriginal youth in this 6 minute video production. Download high quality versions of the video:
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• Quicktime MOV format (143 MB)
• MPG format (335 MB)