EleV Partnership

Building Educational and

Employment Pathways for EleV reflects a lesson of nature – that leadership is service; that by helping others, we fulfil a greater purpose. Indigenous Youth EleV uplifts Indigenous students embracing learning and leadership. By encouraging students to fly higher through education, EleV creates the opportunity for young people to prosper and contribute to their communities. EleV is an innovative partnership between the Blackfoot Confederacy, ULethbridge and theMastercard Foundation. We create educational opportunities for Indigenous youth and bolster supports to ensure their success.

The EleV Navigators provide in-community support services and communication to guide Blackfoot learners along their education and career pathways. The EleV Education Navigators assist prospective Indigenous students with the transition to postsecondary, while the EleV Employment Navigators provide current Indigenous students with resources and referrals to assist with the student-toprospective-employee-transition.

Learn more about EleV

reflects a lesson of nature – that leadership is service; that by helping others, we fulfil a greater purpose. uplifts Indigenous students embracing learning and leadership. By encouraging students to fly higher through 26 creates the opportunity for young people

Dr. Leroy Little Bear, Iikaisskini (BASc ‘74, DASc ‘04)

The EleV Program has four overarching objectives:

• Build pathways and enhance access to post-secondary education for prospective

Indigenous students;

• Enhance supports to increase

Indigenous student success at ULethbridge;

• Leverage current academic and research programming, and infrastructure to build connections between education and economic opportunity linked employment; and

• Support the development of employment and economic development opportunities through the sharing of connections and resources to balance the principles and visions of the Blackfoot confederacy, and aspirations of the individual nations and aspirations of the individuals. Dr. Leroy Little Bear tells the story of the gifts of the Three Sisters, represented by corn, beans and squash. The corn provides the climbing pole for the beans, which provides nutrition for the corn and squash, while the squash provides protective covering for the plants. They are a community, their success depends on each other.

The Three Sisters illustrate the important partnership between the University of Lethbridge, the Blackfoot Confederacy and the Mastercard Foundation. ULethbridge and the Blackfoot Confederacy have had a long, historical working relationship, and the inclusion of the Mastercard Foundation completes the Three Sisters relationship with regard to Indigenous education.