Tlicho youth hope to motivate peers at new summit

Janelle Nitsiza had big plans to finish her studies online at Yukon College.

But in 2015, during her second semester of classes — working as a career counsellor, she had to make a decision: continue her studies or care for her dying grandmother, who was diagnosed with cancer.

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"When we found out she had cancer it was just too late," she said. "But I didn't want her to give up ... I gave back to her completely and wholeheartedly."

Nitsiza's grandmother died within months, but the 24-year-old says caring for her led to debts that she needs to pay off. 

Now working as a career development officer with the Tlicho government, Nitsiza is working to motivate her peers to do what she hasn't yet: fulfill their post-secondary education goals. 

"This was an inspiration for the youth but it was also an inspiration for myself," she told CBC, before speaking to a crowd of young people at the Behchoko Sportsplex about their trip into the bush.

Tackling disparities

Called 'Idaà Ts'ade,' which means "moving forward" in Tlicho, this week's summit was designed to "empower the youth to move forward in today's world, by showcasing the successes of our Tlicho citizens," according to the Tlicho website.

Less than three per cent of Indigenous people between the ages of 25 and 39 in the Northwest Territories have university degrees, compared to 40.7 per cent of their non-Indigenous counterparts of the same age.

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Tlicho youth from Behchoko, Wekweeti, Gameti and Whati were there, along with Tlicho youth who live outside the self-governing region. Richard Van Camp, Doreen Arrowmaker, and other notable Tlicho figures were there. 

Co-organizer Antonia Dryneck says many young people in her region finish high school and "just stop there, kind of like a standstill" or head to college or university for a semester or two before coming back home.

Others, Dryneck said, "are still trying to figure out life."

'It will be a proud moment'

For attendee Samantha Migwi, 31, hearing from single mothers who had gone to college and university was inspiring. The conference reminded her of her own goals to finish high school alongside her oldest child, who is 12.

"It will be a proud moment," said the mother of four, who is about to start a work placement with the Tlicho government. "I want to be able to go to college, to have a successful career life, and then come back to my community."

Migwi says it can be hard for her fellow youth to leave Whati for school because the community has such a strong support system. "We are close in Whati," she said. "They connect more with being out on the land."

Raphael Guillory studies postsecondary access and retention for Native Americans in the United States. He says there are "multifaceted" reasons Indigenous students may complete post-secondary education at lower rates.

I needed to spread my wings. You don't stop trying.- Christan Beaverho

One reason is close-knit family ties, which can often be "the motivation to go to college," but which can also lead to feelings of isolation and obligation to be home. Another is a lack of community in the university or college setting.

Nitsiza's friend Christan Beaverho attended the conference. She just finished her first year of studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., where she's completing a computer science program. This is her second time in post-secondary education after she did some work toward an education-assistant certificate at community college in Alberta. She returned home that time, however, after she "got into an accident and needed to recover."

Beaverho says that being so far from her family has been difficult, but she's ready to keep at it.

"I needed to spread my wings," she said. "You don't stop trying."