Only 44% of youth in foster care are expected to graduate from High School. And only 4% go on to a Postsecondary Education.
The following programs help students involved with child-welfare to achieve their academic goals.
Dare to Dream Bursary
Established in 1995, the Dare to Dream Bursary program helps current and former youth in care obtain a post-secondary education. This bursary helps youth tackle the financial stress of tuition payments and allows them to focus on their studies.
Only 44% of youth in Ontario foster care graduate from high school, compared to 81% of the provincial average.
For these youth, finances can be one of the main barriers preventing them from attending post-secondary school. Many of these kids do not have support from their families, and most funding from the Ontario government ends the second they reach age 18. At this confusing and stressful time of transitioning out of care, the added pressure of paying for school can make education seem like just a dream.
You can help these youth realize that it’s not just a dream! See how Jeff’s dream of attending school was realized through the Dare to Dream Bursary.
Are you an applicant? For more details go to: Youth Resources
Important Dates:
- Application Period opens (March 28, 2024)
- Application Period closes (April 29, 2024 at 5:00pm)
Tutoring
When kids are dealing with challenges at home, moving between different placements, and trying to process and overcome any trauma they’ve faced, they often struggle to focus in school. Children in the child welfare system are dealing with another level of stress compared to their peers, and they sometimes struggle with learning challenges, processing delays, and mental health challenges. Tutoring gives kids an extra boost in their education so that they can succeed with confidence.
Thank you for providing me the opportunity to get extra tutoring in math. It helped me get accepted to Nursing at uOttawa!
– Aly, former youth in care
Psych-Educational Assessments
Children all learn in different ways. Some students are more hands-on, and some students need to see everything visually in order to fully understand a topic. There is no one-size-fits-all to education.
Some students require individual education plans so that their teachers and family members can best support them with their learning. The Psycho-Educational Assessments that are required to start building these individual education plans are expensive and often out of reach for many families. Now imagine you’re challenged with domestic violence, poverty, or homelessness – being able to afford this assessment is probably the last thing on your mind.
Through this program, our Foundation is able to help students get the assessments they need in order to succeed in their education – something that all kids in child welfare deserve the opportunity to do.
You can help fuel the next generation of social workers, lawyers, police officers, environmental scientists, teachers, and entrepreneurs.
Welding and Fabrication
Mark
Graduate
Bachelor of Social Work
Josephine
Graduate
Bachelor of Arts in Law
Penny
Graduate
Early Childhood Education
Kyle
Graduate
Masters in Social Work
Michelle
Graduate
Police Foundations
Flavie
Graduate
Dental Assistant
Tariq
Graduate
Television Production
Ezekiel
Graduate
Honours Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies
Cody
Graduate
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
Fariah
Graduate
Bachelor of Management and Entrepreneurship
Caroline
Graduate
International Development and Globalization
Gwenneth
Graduate
Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics
Danielle
Graduate
Child and Youth Care Worker
Patrick
Graduate
Human Resources Management
William
Graduate
Bachelor of Commerce
Xavier
Graduate
My first couple months of this program have been busy, yet exciting. I’m learning all about the basis of nursing. This is such an exciting time for me! This program is bringing challenges of its own, but with all the support I have, I am always able to persevere through them. There are a lot of people who care about my success, including the donors of my bursary. I can’t thank them enough for the gift they’ve given me.
– Mila, a Dare to Dream Bursary Recipient
Events
Our events help raise awareness and raise funds for kids in Ottawa. We’d love to see you there!
Donate
You can make a difference today. Any gift that is meaningful to you, means the world to these kids.