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II. Support a Smooth Transition When onboarding new students or staff, it is important to ensure that they feel welcomed and supported from the start. It is helpful to have a specific liaison position dedicated to supporting incoming Indigenous people into the organization. This person can meet with the individual to get to know them, give them information of services and benefits available to them, describe in detail administrative tasks that are necessary to complete (and potentially walk them through the process), and answer any questions that they may have. It is important not to make assumptions about what an Indigenous young person may be experiencing or what support they may need. A liaison may however help to be a point person the person can come to when they have questions or are facing challenges that are not directly associated with the requirements of their education or employment (such as administrative work, knowing about and applying for external opportunities, participating in social gatherings or committees, ect.). It is also helpful when liaisons are able to work with the individual for a long period of time, even before or after they begin working or studying with the institution. In academic settings, this may mean the liaison can provide a specific tour of the university for Indigenous high-school students and support the application process through to course selection and post-graduate studies. This helps foster a continuum of support for the student that makes evident and supports the pathway to future success within the institution and beyond. III. Pave Success Pathways People often talk about trailblazers; those who have went where no one has ever gone before. These leaders create a trail for others to follow, and before long these trails became roads, and then pathways. Indigenous peoples have our own trails (quite literally), but have not been given a map of the highways to success in mainstream society. Supporting Indigenous people to thrive means giving them the information and tools to be able to access the full spectrum of success they may be provided. The youth we spoke to suggested creating mechanisms for referrals and networks between organizations so that they could access external support if needed in order to focus on succeeding in their role. This may mean providing information and referrals for mental health services, childcare services, financial support programs, food banks, legal support, or sustainable housing in addition to providing information on how to move forward with their education or career. Proactively asking this information apparent helps young people to know what is available and possible to them, rather than waiting for a crisis to access help. Paving success pathways also means celebrating successes of students and staff members who have navigated through the processes IV. Develop Meaningful Relationships Indigenous young people want to study and work in organizations that are doing work that benefits Indigenous communities. Increasing your networks to extend to Indigenous organizations and communities will also increase the likelihood of you attracting Indigenous students and staff members to your institution. It is however problematic to rely on a Future Pathways Summit Report 20

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