52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing - Week 15

Week 15: Help Fund Indigenous Education
from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing

This week, Robertson turns to education, something deeply personal in his own life and family story. He shares how his father, an ordained United Church minister, devoted much of his life to improving access to education for Indigenous communities. A key part of that vision was local control—ensuring that Indigenous communities could shape their own education systems in ways that reflect their languages, cultures, and ways of knowing.

For many Indigenous students, pursuing education, especially post-secondary, has often meant leaving their home communities. While there are supports available, funding is limited and does not meet the need. As a result, many students face barriers in accessing the education they are passionate about, whether that’s becoming a teacher, doctor, artist, or pursuing another path.

Robertson reminds us that education has long been used as a tool of assimilation, particularly through residential schools. Supporting Indigenous-led education today is one way of contributing to a different future—one where learning strengthens identity, culture, and community rather than erasing it.

He points to organizations that are doing this work, including Indspire, which provides scholarships and bursaries to Indigenous students across the country, and the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation, which supports students in Manitoba. These organizations, along with many others, rely on a combination of grants and public donations to continue their work.

The invitation this week is simple and practical: consider giving what you can. That might be a one-time donation, a monthly contribution, or even organizing a small fundraiser in your community. Robertson emphasizes that every contribution matters. Supporting one student can have ripple effects, as many graduates return to their communities to teach, lead, and create opportunities for others.

In the context of the church, where education and reconciliation are deeply intertwined, this can be a meaningful way to live out commitments not just in words, but in action.

What might it look like for you or your community to support Indigenous students in pursuing education, and how could that investment shape futures beyond what you can immediately see?

Want to read last weeks post, you can do so here.