Last month, the first cohort of students in Hollow Water (Waanibiigaaw) First Nation’s Educational Assistant certificate program gathered alongside their instructor and family members with a ceremony and feast to celebrate their graduation.

The community centered celebration allowed them to share their accomplishments with their loved ones and community members. The graduates were gifted materials from their community to create their own ribbon skirts to wear to the ceremony.

Instructor Patricia Stouffer says it was important to the grads that they had a ceremony, not just for themselves but so younger people could see the accomplishments that are possible for them in their community.

Hollow Water First Nation is located on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, over 200 km northeast of Winnipeg. The community of Hollow Water is a tightknit and welcoming one and staying close to home was a crucial element of the success of this program according to Patricia.

“One of the biggest things is having support from home and not experiencing culture-shock. It’s hard enough to transition into education and having this opportunity right in community opened doors for the students who were a part of this program. Being in their community allowed them to keep their values and connection to family alive and well throughout their education and get the support that only being close to home can provide.”

Chloe Seymour is one of the eight graduating students and is already working right in her community at Wanipigow School. She said it felt nice to be recognized at the ceremony and for their community to see their hard work in the program – echoing Patricia’s sentiment that access to education in her community was crucial.

Chloe had two part-time jobs while in the program, jobs she would’ve had to quit if she had needed to travel to another part of the province to complete the program. It was also important to her that she could set an example for kids in Hollow Water.

“I’m glad I got to show youth in my community that they don’t have to leave their home to continue their education, and that they can be successful just like I was.”

Delivering programs like the Educational Assistant certificate program in Hollow Water is one way that RRC Polytech addresses the needs of the communities it serves, while also committing to the College’s responsibility to Truth and Reconciliation.

This program is a step to ensure equitable education opportunities throughout Manitoba and was designed to remove barriers to students who would not have otherwise had the opportunity for education outside of their community. By providing communities with access to post-secondary education, RRC Polytech aims to close gaps in our educational system and create a more equitable environment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.