— Travel —
To the right, Saranya speaks about the difficulties Indigenous students face as they travel hundreds of kilometers away from their home communities to seek an education. She discusses the distance separation and culture shock that come with living in a city for the first time. She also talks about how students often seek comfort through substance abuse, despite the efforts of many Indigenous leaders.
See the transcript here.
Without sufficient resources in their communities, children as young as 14 had no choice but to travel hundreds of kilometers from small communities like Pikangikum to larger cities such as Thunder Bay to get a quality high school education. Many could only visit their parents by charter plane.
Once the students arrive...they are isolated, alone, and alienated. They are placed in boarding homes where people are paid to take care of them. For the most part they are not living in nurturing, loving environments.
Indigenous leaders have tried to help the students through organizations such as the NNEC. Read more about them here.
However, Indigenous students continue to be disadvantaged even with the closing of residential schools, such as the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School pictured to the right.
Continue on to the next page of the experience.