SCO partners with Corpell’s to launch Indigenous scholarship

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This article was published 06/05/2022 (1400 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new partnership between the Southern Chiefs’ Organization and Corpell’s Water is acknowledging the legacy of residential schools in Canada while promoting access to education for Indigenous students.

Water bottles with Every Child Matters designs are being sold by Corpell’s to honour the children who attended residential schools. For each case of water sold, Corpell’s will donate funds to a new endowed Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) scholarship fund at Brandon University. SCO will match the donations up to $25,000.

The bottles went on sale at the end of April in retail outlets across Manitoba.

“It’s important that First Nations are given as much opportunity as possible. We do know that they are at the margins of every social, economic indicator that we can point to and so we need to change that narrative,” said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “The more we can get the corporate sector behind this, and being innovative in how we can support that change, I think it’s going to be great for all of us.”

The organization is always on the hunt for opportunities that support the educational endeavours of Indigenous students, he said.

The scholarship will transform students’ lives by ensuring they have access to post-secondary education.

“Sometimes students go through particular cycles in their education experience where they require additional financial support, and this allows them to focus on their studies rather than take on a job and gives them resources that will better support their educational advancement.”

The scholarships will be targeted toward those who are in most need, and SCO is looking to partner with different institutions that are already doing these assessments.

An emphasis will also be placed on supporting those who have been directly or indirectly affected by the residential school system in Canada. This can include intergenerational survivors.

The legacy of residential schools continues to create barriers Indigenous people must overcome in pursuit of a post-secondary career, he said.

“It’s a challenge, I think, for many of our Indigenous peoples.”

The success of the new initiative will be measured in several ways including the number of contributions made, the amount of students who graduate, the tally of those supported by the scholarship and the partnerships built with education institutions.

“As we have more and more people buy the product, it’s a reflection of the growing sort of support for changing the history and rewriting it in a way that makes the future better and really moves towards reconciliation,” Daniels said.

“I want to commend the leadership at Corpell’s for taking this significant step when it comes to remembering the children who attended the schools across our territory, and their commitment to raising awareness and scholarship funds … I am deeply appreciative when members of the business community show a commitment to meaningful reconciliation.”

The scholarships are part of an ongoing discussion regarding the accessibility of education for Indigenous people and a push for societal change in Canada, he said. If students have a dream to move into post-secondary, SCO wants to support them.

“It’s focused on education. It’s also raising awareness and it’s building partnerships and showing to the rest of Canada that we can be innovative and create partnerships that can impact people’s lives.”

He said the special water bottles also serve as a reminder that every child matters. When looking at the orange water bottles, he hopes it will remind people of the legacy of residential schools in Canada and the changes that are needed in contemporary culture.

The limited-edition bottles are available at Sobeys, Food Fares, Red River Co-op stores, Esso, One Stop in Selkirk, and the Brokenhead Community Store, with more stores to be announced and upcoming sales at summer festivals. Corpell’s Water plans to sell the bottles as long as there is demand.

“Like so many Canadians, we were devastated to witness the discovery of thousands of unmarked graves at former residential school sites over the past year,” said Kurt Friesen, president of Corpell’s Water in a press release.

“We knew we wanted to do our part to honour those little ones, along with all survivors and their families. We cannot change the past, but we can do something to show we will never forget and that we will do what we can to rectify this horrific chapter in our country’s history.”

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