Green Shield Canada (GSC) and Indspire announced a $300,000 partnership to help Indigenous students pursue education and careers in health-related disciplines.
“At GSC, it is part of our mission to create a positive social impact in our communities, and we have a strong commitment to supporting equity and the principles of reconciliation,” said Mila Lucio, GSC executive vice-president of human resources and social impact in a March 17 press release. “That is why this opportunity resonates so strongly with us, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Indspire to increase access to education for Indigenous students.”
GSC will be contributing $300,000 towards Indigenous education over the course of the three-year partnership, with 75 per cent of the funding directed to student scholarships and the remaining 25 per cent supporting student workshops and events like Soaring, Indspire’s Indigenous Youth Empowerment Gathering.
The scholarships are aligned with GSC’s core focus on enabling Better Health for All and will support students in health-related programs, including psychology and mental health counselling, social work, health sciences, medical school, dentistry, and health services or health promotion.
“Contributions like this one have an impact that goes far beyond the individual receiving the scholarship, as Indigenous learners reinvest the benefits of their education back into their communities,” said Mike DeGagné, president and CEO of Indspire. “We see this trend regularly, and it is particularly pronounced and especially impactful in the context of health care initiatives like this one supported by GSC.”
The next application opens online on May 1 and the application deadline for the bursaries is August 1. Those interested should apply for the bursaries directly through the Indspire website.
