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When students are safely housed, they are more able to focus on the tasks of school or work and are therefore more likely to thrive. This is especially true when students are able to access communal housing arrangements with other Indigenous people, such as in student residences, that allow for familial type relationships that help traveling students feel a sense of home. Indigenous families often differ in structure than Euro-Canadian standards. Young people attending college or university may also be caregivers to young children or elders. These responsibilities are incredibly important from a cultural standpoint. Students spoke of their role within their families with pride and wished that these roles were also respected within the classroom and workplace. As one young person shared, "I wish they understood that many of our Indigenous communities start families young so it's hard to see you as a mom versus just a student. I have to stay home when she's sick, or she's had to come to class with me before". Many felt that universities and employers should take into account different family structures and support incoming Indigenous students and employees to secure high quality and affordable childcare. In some programs, students were offered childcare spaces before entering into a program, which facilitated positive transitions into the university community. Indigenous communities are spread across various geographical landscapes in Canada. Many Indigenous students attend programs in urban centers which are very far from their home communities. Traveling back and forth between places is logistically difficult, time consuming, and can be expensive. While some programs will fund a prospective student for the initial travel associated with attending the program, there are not often funds available to return home during holidays or breaks in the program. local students may visit family during the winter break for instance, but many students from northern or remote communities will not have that opportunity and may feel socially isolated and discouraged from continuing on. Students spoke about their need and desire to return home to visit intermittently to reconnect with family and land while in their programs. They also acknowledged instances of wanting to go home for cultural events and ceremonies but were not able to because these times were not acknowledged by administrators. They recommended having systems in place, such as cultural leave, so they could travel without putting their work in jeopardy. As one youth stated: "When we go to ceremony or spend time with our family, we should have alternatives on how to catch up on missed class time and assignments". Because of the lack of funding and support available for travel associated with schooling and employment, some Indigenous young people are forced to remain in urban settings long after their program ends. For many Indigenous students, they are pursuing an education in order to support their community as a whole and feel conflicted when they are unable to bring the knowledge and experience gained through structured programs and trainings back to their community. Future Pathways Summit Report 14

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