Working in partnership with Indigenous communities, students, and families, Pathways Program locations across Canada are tailoring programming to reflect local cultures, strengthen belonging, and support student success.
The number of Indigenous students served by the Pathways Program has steadily increased over the past five years. In the last school year, 1,180 Pathways students self-identified as Indigenous, representing 12.4 per cent of total enrolment across all program locations. This growth reflects our commitment to working alongside Indigenous partners, governments, and communities to close longstanding gaps in education and opportunity.
In program locations nationwide, Pathways staff partner with school systems and communities to shape the Pathways Program in response to the unique barriers Indigenous youth face. These partnerships help create spaces where Indigenous students feel seen and supported, while creating a greater understanding of Indigenous histories and experiences among all students.
Indigenous youth are supported at program locations across the country, including three Indigenous-led locations in Mashteuiatsh (Quebec), Saskatoon, and Thunder Bay. Other locations serving large Indigenous student populations include Winnipeg, Kingston, and Vancouver & Surrey, who have built strong partnerships with local Indigenous organizations. In Edmonton, Pathways also supports Braided Journeys, an Indigenous-founded and led program, within a dedicated Indigenous high school in the Edmonton Catholic School Division.
Young people in the Pathways Program also have opportunities to contribute to the development of programming that meets their needs. This approach has led to programming grounded in youth voice and Indigenous worldviews, while allowing staff to tailor supports to local communities and contexts.
Across the network, this work is reflected in a range of community-led approaches, including:
Land-based Learning
Many urban Indigenous youth have limited access to cultural and ceremonial spaces and can feel disconnected from their communities as a result. Pathways locations work with local Knowledge Keepers to support students in learning how to connect with, protect and live in harmony with the land.
Pathways Saskatoon, delivered in partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), demonstrates this approach. The program welcomes self-identified Indigenous students from the seven member First Nations supported by STC, as well as students from partner school boards. Through land-based learning experiences, students are immersed in traditional practices that nurture a spiritual connection to the land. For example, students participated in a blueberry-picking trip, using time in the forest for reflection and connection.
Participation in Ceremony
Ceremony plays an important role in helping students build a stronger sense of purpose, identity, and well-being within their communities. These practices support healing from past experiences while also celebrating connections to spiritual and natural worlds.
Pathways Mashteuiatsh, delivered in partnership with Puakuteu Comité des Femmes de Mashteuiatsh, demonstrates how ceremony is embedded in programming. As the only on-reserve Pathways location, the program supports cultural continuity through activities such as making regalia—traditional clothing and accessories worn during powwows and other ceremonies. Guided by women and Elders from the community, youth created their own regalia while learning about its cultural significance and history. Participants later wore their regalia at the Grand Entry of a powwow, sharing a moment of pride with their community.
Access to Elders and Knowledge Keepers
Elders and Knowledge Keepers play an essential role in Pathways programming by supporting cultural learning, community building, and youth engagement. Their leadership is woven throughout ceremonies, land-based learning, and youth-led initiatives across program locations.
Pathways Thunder Bay, delivered in partnership with Shkoday Abinojiiwak Obimiwedoon, highlights the importance of this practice in its goal of nurturing a strong Anishinabek identity and reflecting the cultural values of extended communities. The program primarily serves Indigenous youth from partner high schools across the city, including one First Nations school that hosts students from many different Sioux Lookout District First Nations. Through weekly Anishinabek cultural sessions led by Elders and Knowledge Keepers, students strengthen ties to traditional ways of knowing and being.
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When Indigenous students see their cultures, languages, and worldviews reflected in the spaces around them, they are better able to build a sense of belonging and connection in educational spaces. Across the Pathways network, strong relationships with Indigenous communities are helping to create those spaces, allowing young people to carry their knowledge and traditions forward while leading the way to more equitable futures.