WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.150 --> 00:00:03.080 When I joined BCG and started traveling around Canada, 2 00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:04.660 and had the chance to spend some time 3 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:08.290 in northern remote First Nations communities, 4 00:00:08.290 --> 00:00:11.220 I was really surprised that schools there struggled 5 00:00:11.220 --> 00:00:12.860 to recruit teachers, 6 00:00:12.860 --> 00:00:14.700 and when they were able to recruit teachers, 7 00:00:14.700 --> 00:00:16.250 they struggled to retain them 8 00:00:16.250 --> 00:00:17.800 even through a full school year. 9 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:20.470 I saw classrooms that had no teachers at all. 10 00:00:20.470 --> 00:00:23.080 And in a country like Canada, this didn't seem acceptable. 11 00:00:23.080 --> 00:00:26.860 So a group of volunteers, some from BCG, 12 00:00:26.860 --> 00:00:30.460 some from other companies, some from other sectors, 13 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:32.790 got together and started meeting to discuss 14 00:00:32.790 --> 00:00:35.790 if there's anything a group of young Canadians could do 15 00:00:35.790 --> 00:00:38.060 to impact education in the North 16 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:39.690 through teacher recruitment and retention. 17 00:00:39.690 --> 00:00:42.440 Teach for Canada is a nonprofit organization 18 00:00:42.440 --> 00:00:45.100 that works with northern First Nations communities 19 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:49.460 to recruit, train, and support committed teachers. 20 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:53.370 We do this because Canadian education overall 21 00:00:53.370 --> 00:00:57.430 is very high quality, but the system has deep inequality. 22 00:00:57.430 --> 00:01:01.860 And in particular, northern isolated indigenous communities 23 00:01:01.860 --> 00:01:03.910 have a lower graduation rates, 24 00:01:03.910 --> 00:01:06.380 lower student achievement outcomes, 25 00:01:06.380 --> 00:01:10.200 and even lower student attendance and engagement in school. 26 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.380 Our theory of change is that committed teachers 27 00:01:13.380 --> 00:01:17.140 who are well recruited, well trained, and well supported 28 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:20.500 can make a big impact on student outcomes in the North. 29 00:01:20.500 --> 00:01:24.130 And six years later, we've recruited over 300 teachers, 30 00:01:24.130 --> 00:01:26.070 they've impacted over 5,000 students, 31 00:01:26.070 --> 00:01:27.980 and the program is still going strong 32 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:31.360 and growing into more provinces and more communities today. 33 00:01:31.360 --> 00:01:34.650 One of the biggest learnings I had when founding a charity 34 00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:38.300 and launching Teach for Canada was that you really need 35 00:01:38.300 --> 00:01:41.120 to take the time to listen and learn 36 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:44.420 from the people that you are trying to serve. 37 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:46.060 I am not indigenous. 38 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:49.570 I don't come from a northern remote community. 39 00:01:49.570 --> 00:01:52.180 And one of the best things that I did 40 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:53.570 when we started this organization 41 00:01:53.570 --> 00:01:56.600 was we spent two years listening and learning. 42 00:01:56.600 --> 00:01:58.810 We wanted to launch it in 2012, 43 00:01:58.810 --> 00:02:02.740 but we didn't feel we had the information, the knowledge, 44 00:02:02.740 --> 00:02:07.520 the people, or the deep understanding of the challenges 45 00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:09.330 that we would need to launch the organization. 46 00:02:09.330 --> 00:02:11.080 When you are working with a community 47 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:13.210 that is historically marginalized, 48 00:02:13.210 --> 00:02:16.106 historically disadvantaged, and you come in 49 00:02:16.106 --> 00:02:21.106 with what you think might be some sort of helpful solution, 50 00:02:21.760 --> 00:02:23.020 there will be pushback. 51 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:27.000 And you need to always have a huge dose of humility 52 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.990 and a huge dose of respect towards the people 53 00:02:29.990 --> 00:02:33.280 that you are working with and the partners on the ground. 54 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:36.460 And to make this all work, for DEI to work, 55 00:02:36.460 --> 00:02:40.500 for charities to work effectively, it takes both sides, 56 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:42.350 but it especially takes the side that's coming 57 00:02:42.350 --> 00:02:45.310 from the dominant narrative to be humble, respectful, 58 00:02:45.310 --> 00:02:48.040 and to spend a huge amount of time listening and learning. 59 00:02:48.040 --> 00:02:49.440 For hundreds of years, 60 00:02:49.440 --> 00:02:53.570 indigenous peoples have faced systemic discrimination, 61 00:02:53.570 --> 00:02:57.430 systemic marginalization, an underfunded education system, 62 00:02:57.430 --> 00:03:00.710 an underfunded health system, and a whole other litany 63 00:03:00.710 --> 00:03:04.004 of challenges facing their communities. 64 00:03:04.004 --> 00:03:07.880 And it is incumbent upon people like me, 65 00:03:07.880 --> 00:03:11.540 a non-indigenous person, but who cares, 66 00:03:11.540 --> 00:03:13.580 governments, businesses, non-profits, 67 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:17.200 it's incumbent on all of us in Canada to do what we can 68 00:03:17.200 --> 00:03:19.220 in a humble and respectful way 69 00:03:19.220 --> 00:03:21.120 to support indigenous communities. 70 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.753 And I plan to do so for the rest of my career.