b'INDIGENOUS EDUCATIONI love the fact that Indspire is in a position to make ade-risk some of those concerns and help them get to a significant impact in the Indigenous community, notpoint where they feel confident about taking action.only by providing mentorships and financial assistance to students but by celebrating Indigenous excellenceSHARING WISDOMthrough our annual Indspire Awards, says Craig. It all goes a long way towards challenging stereotypes andRespect, clarity, and transparency are the foundation changing the narrative about Indigenous people of meaningful Indigenous partnerships. So too is recog-in Canada. nizing that enhancing the Indigenous student journey takes time. A lot of relationship building isnt linear. Craig is well versed in public administration and policySometimes youve got to realize that the task is bigger development. Beginning with a role at the Aboriginalthan one fiscal or academic year, says Craig. Thats Healing Foundation, he has spent over 20 years workingwhy my advice to organizations is that they need to be with various governments and non-profits, including thecommitted and be able to absorb timing challenges, Assembly of First Nations and the National Associationrelationship challenges.of Friendship Centres. Craig also knew former IndspireBeing flexible is another asset, Craig adds, noting that CEO Roberta Jamieson and current CEO Mike DeGagnwhat seems like a good idea one day may be improbable well before joining the organization, so when aor problematic later on: You need to be prepared to colleague pointed out an opportunity to join, he waswalk a path. As a friend and colleague always says, Trust quick to apply. is built over a thousand cups of tea. If you think you can have one cup and are done, that wont get you far. You BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS have to do the work.A large part of Craigs energy is spent sourcing andIts been several years since Craig joined Indspire. And securing financial support for Indigenous youth. Today,while there is much work left to be done, he is proud that means being a point of contact for a host of publicof the impact Indspire is making within the Indigenous sector partners. Were so lucky to be working with socommunity. Whether spotlighting excellence through its many people along this journey of creating a betterawards, connecting youth to career guides in mentor-future for Indigenous people, says Craig. Its fortunateship programs, or linking students to bursaries and that an organization like ours exists to be a catalyst forfinancial supports, Craigs passion for the job comes folks who have a mind to support these higher ideals. from watching Indigenous relationships create better Craigs networking spans organizations throughoutfutures. Its rewarding to have a place where you can Canada. It includes government partners, who helpcontribute your vision and energy and actually feel like Indspire connect Indigenous students to public sectoryou can make a difference, he says.grants and supports, as well as youth organizations, which help Indspire launch and run initiatives like its Small Employment Readiness Project. Indspire is also proud to collaborate on events with regional partners such as Tourism Winnipeg.Part of building relationships that benefit Indigenous students also includes managing expectations. For example, says Craig, There are times when donors dont have a specific idea of what they want to do. They know they have resources or an opportunity to support something related to Indigenous youth but dont neces-sarily know how to move forward. Thats when you work with them to find out what makes sense for all parties and will make a positive impact.The Mtis Nation of Ontario offers There are also prospective partners who have an ideaa variety of education, training, and of how they would like to help but are reluctant toemployment programs for Mtis people.make a move out of concern they might do more harmTo learn more about the programs and services we offer please visit our website at www.metisnation.org or call us toll free than good. A lot of organizations feel that they haveat 1-800-263-4889 .something to contribute but dont want to do the wrong thing, says Craig. Thats where its on us at Indspire to 2022indspiration61'