Weeks ahead of the first day of school, Pathways Winnipeg staff are knocking on doors and reconnecting with students, helping them find their footing for the year ahead.
This week, Pathways Winnipeg held an Opening Pipe Ceremony, bringing together students, families, and staff to mark the start of a new school year. In a community home to one of Canada’s largest urban Indigenous populations, it’s an anticipated tradition at Pathways Winnipeg. Guided by Elder Lionel Houston, students learned about the Seven Sacred Teachings and smudged with sage harvested by staff.
But preparations for students’ return began weeks earlier. Since August, Pathways Winnipeg staff have been knocking on doors, making phone calls, and reconnecting with students and families.
“We do the outreach because we want to make sure that our students are coming to the program and they’re engaged in school,” says Tracy Rose-LaPorte, Operations Manager for Pathways Winnipeg.
A lifelong North End resident whose sons attended the Pathways Program, Tracy knows that keeping students in school starts with listening.
“If they’re not engaged, we ask why. What barrier are you facing? What can we do to help you get back to school?”
Over the summer, students’ phone numbers can change and living situations may shift. When a number has been disconnected, the Winnipeg team leans on the relationships they’ve built over the years. Staff reach out over social media, visit homes, and check in with neighbours who may know where a student has moved. Once they reconnect, staff are able to understand what’s happening in their life and begin addressing issues that could affect their return to school.
More than anything, these efforts help students begin the year knowing they aren’t alone.
Navigating New Environments with Support
While some Pathways students grew up in the North End, others have come from distant First Nations communities to attend high school in Winnipeg. Entire families may relocate for their child’s education or arrange for the student to stay with a relative. It’s a plan often years in the making, opening the door to post-secondary and career options that may not be available closer to home.
The transition comes with a steep learning curve. Along with starting high school, these young people are adjusting to the shock of moving from a small community of a few hundred to a large city.
Pathways Winnipeg helps students settle into new routines, walking alongside them through everyday moments such as navigating unfamiliar neighbourhoods and transit routes.
“We’ll do whatever we can to be there for students,” says Tracy.
She recalls a student who had earned a scholarship to attend high school at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate’s Model School program but was anxious about travelling to school across the city. Tracy rode the bus with him to and from school every day until he felt comfortable making the trip on his own.
Moving to Winnipeg can also bring a profound sense of homesickness. Students find themselves in a new urban context, far away from home communities where time spent on the land, fishing, and hunting with family helped ground them.
“It’s hard on them,” says Tracy. “There’s a huge disconnect from where they came from and their traditions.”
Pathways Winnipeg staff create space for students to share stories about home, talk through challenges, and access familiar cultural connections. Indigenous teachings and practices are woven into programming through ceremony, Elders, and activities such as beading and creating ribbon skirts and shirts. These experiences help students carry a sense of home with them as they build new relationships in Winnipeg. And for urban Indigenous youth, they are opportunities to reconnect with key pieces of identity that may not be accessible elsewhere.
Starting the School Year Strong
As the new school year begins, the team has made sure students are ready with what they need. Backpacks filled with school supplies and clothing have been distributed, calendars of September’s Pathways activities shared, and morning wake-up calls scheduled.
With their bags packed and bus routes mapped, students arrive feeling more at ease. Many already recognize familiar faces thanks to Pathways Winnipeg’s Grade 8 programming, where Grade 11 and 12 Pathways Peer Helpers offer tutoring, mentorship, and social activities to prepare students for the move to high school.
“When students come through our doors, they see other Indigenous youth succeeding and start to imagine what’s possible for their own future,” says Tracy. “If they ever doubt themselves, we remind them—look around at all the people who believe in you.”