Sovereignty has been headline news in Canada in recent months. While the focus is often narrowed to national security—borders, trade, military presence, international relations— this is an incomplete picture. Ensuring human security and community well-being is the first step.
Indigenous youth from coast to coast to coast are engaged in the work of building healthy and prosperous communities across the very territories Canada seeks to protect. And philanthropy can play a key role by resourcing and supporting their solutions.
Indigenous Youth at the Forefront of Change
Many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities are located in rural and remote areas that the federal government is focusing on through its nation-building agenda. These communities are witnessing the effects of climate change firsthand; they are at the forefront of conversations about land, water, and fire stewardship, resource management, and new shipping routes that are opening in the Arctic.
Indigenous youth know better than anyone how to address the challenges and harness the opportunities this moment presents. In fact, 93% of young Indigenous people said they planned to use their education to contribute positively and to empower their communities, according to the Indigenous Youth Reconciliation Barometer 2024.
One participant from Inuit Nunangat framed success in education and employment as, “Work that will have an impact to a community…will benefit the community, no matter how big or how small that benefit is.”
Investing in the Fastest-Growing Demographic
Indigenous youth are the fastest-growing segment of Canada’s population, growing at twice the rate of non-Indigenous people, according to Statistics Canada. Investing in responsive education, meaningful employment, and leadership opportunities for Indigenous youth is beneficial for all, as they play a vital role in shaping our shared future.
Recent data from Indspire reported that Indigenous graduates transitioned into “work that was both meaningful to them and their communities,” with nearly 70% being employed in Indigenous governments or organizations, the public service, education, and the non-profit sector.
The case for investing in Indigenous young people is clear. To secure Canada’s future, we must get serious about supporting Indigenous youth through education and into meaningful work. This is where the philanthropic sector can accelerate the pace of change.
The Role of Philanthropy in Supporting Indigenous Solutions
A critical role of the charitable sector is to serve communities, working with them to tackle immediate and long-term challenges. To live up to this ambitious purpose, the charitable sector must get behind Indigenous solutions—to resource this work, to be committed partners, to walk alongside Indigenous Peoples. One effective way to do this is by collaborating with Indigenous organizations and charities, helping grow their capacity, resiliency and strength for the future.
To provide one example, this fall the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program made a commitment of $235 million to 30 post-secondary institutions and national Indigenous organizations to recognize their impact in education for Indigenous young people.
With the majority directed to Indigenous institutions and organizations, this investment has ripple effects. Indigenous institutions immediately moved to welcome hundreds of students previously on wait lists, to innovate and leverage opportunity. They are convening strategic discussions with the communities they are governed by to accelerate development opportunities and to plan for the future.
Strengthening Communities Through Indigenous Institutions
Investing in Indigenous institutes contributes to families and communities in many ways. They are a powerful example of Indigenous leadership, revitalizing language, centring culture, uplifting Indigenous knowledges and science to solve contemporary challenges.
Indigenous post-secondary institutions deliver better outcomes for Indigenous learners with graduation rates of 75% to 85%. This exceeds national rates of 55% to 75% based on Statistics Canada data. They also strengthen regional economies by expanding access to services, creating a local talent pool, diversifying job opportunities, increasing employment rates, and raising income levels. Offering responsive, relevant programming, Indigenous institutes deliver better educational outcomes for all students.
Lessons from Global Partnerships
This approach is equally relevant in other sectors and regions too, because it aligns charitable resources with community-led solutions that work and can be sustained over time. To provide one additional example, over nearly 15 years of partnership, the Mastercard Foundation has supported Ashesi University in Ghana, a small local institution that opened with 30 students in 2002, to grow into a regional hub for ethical leadership, innovation and enabling access to high-quality education in Africa. Today, enrollment is over 150,000 and Ashesi will impact over a million African students through education reforms and support 400 young entrepreneurs to grow businesses in Africa.
Philanthropy is uniquely positioned to support local solutions by acting quickly, investing in innovation, being responsive, and committing to ideas led by and for the community. To be effective, the philanthropic sector must continue to evolve beyond transactional or singular program granting and towards a model rooted in trust-based relationships.
These kinds of partnerships can be transformative. They require time, trust, reciprocity, and shared purpose. On this National Philanthropy Day, let’s move beyond celebration and commit to action. The philanthropic sector can contribute to generational change in Canada by partnering with Indigenous organizations and communities. We can forge a new path and demonstrate how partnership can be done differently: with humility, with reciprocity, and with greater impact.
And through our collective action, we can contribute to a secure and prosperous future for all.
