A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) highlights the barriers facing Indigenous and racialized students in Manitoba. The report summarizes the results of a study that followed 27 alumni of a Community Education Development Association Pathways to Education program as they navigated applying to and entering postsecondary education. The report identified four key barriers faced by participants: financial hardship, intergenerational trauma, difficulty navigating the postsecondary system, and institutional racism. To remove these barriers, the report suggested introducing or improving several measures, including financial and housing supports, educational support beyond high school, mental health services, and the decolonization of postsecondary education. “Some participants in the study did talk about finding safe spaces on campuses, Indigenous student groups or BIPOC student groups that provided a buffer to the rest of the postsecondary environment,” said report co-author Janet Nowatzki. “I think it’s slowly starting to happen. It just has a long way to go.”
