Pathways to Education Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kate Tilleczek as Chair of the organization’s Research Advisory Council. Pathways to Education is a charitable social innovation supporting youth in low-income communities to graduate from high school and build the foundation for a successful future. The Pathways to Education Research Advisory Council is an advisory body of accomplished Canadian researchers, subject-matter experts, and experienced community leaders and practitioners in the fields of youth learning and development, educational attainment of youth living in contexts of disadvantage, school-to-workplace transitions, and community-based programming.

Dr. Kate Tilleczek is the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Young Lives, Education &  Global Good and a Professor in the Faculty of Education at York University. She is the founder and Director of the Young Lives Research Laboratory (CANADA) where she and her team employ international, interdisciplinary research into how young people navigate sustainable wellbeing in the digital age and how education could better support these efforts. In addition to her new role as Chair at the Pathways to Education Research Advisory Council, Dr. Tilleczek is Editor in Chief of Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies series and serves on the advisory committee at the Journal of Youth Studies and the executive committee of the Dahdeleh Institute of Global Health Research at York. Dr. Tilleczek is the recipient of several research and education awards, including the Canadian Education Association’s Whitworth Award for Career Education Research Excellence for her work with/by/for marginalized youth and education policy and practice.

“We are honoured and delighted to welcome Dr. Tilleczek as Chair of the Research Advisory Council,” says Pathways to Education’s Director of Research and Evaluation, Dr. Konrad Glogowski. “Dr. Tilleczek’s experience leading a variety of research projects in education with, for, and by young people as well as her expertise in theory and method for participatory and decolonized approaches to youth outreach and engagement will be a strong asset for our organization. Her extensive expertise in youth social development, education and wellbeing will provide the leadership and critical insights needed to further strengthen our work in the area of research, measurement, and reporting.”

“For almost two decades, Pathways to Education has been an inspiration to those who work with youth in Canada and around the world,” says Dr. Tilleczek. “They have demonstrated how to support and empower young people and their communities in achieving high school graduation as a crucial step in forging brighter futures for Canadian youth and society. The award-winning Pathways Program has been developed and sustained through research and evidence to understand what works best and what should come next as the lives and contexts of youth living in low-income communities shift. I am so pleased to assist with the important work of the intergenerational volunteers who make up the Research Advisory Council of Pathways to Education.”

About Pathways to Education Canada
Pathways to Education is a national, charitable organization breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Its award-winning program is creating positive social change by supporting youth living in low-income communities to overcome barriers to education, graduate from high school, and build the foundation for a successful future. Through the collective power of partnerships, Pathways to Education’s innovative program is preparing youth for tomorrow.