For more than 80 years, Canada's aboriginal communities have suffered physical, sexual, and mental abuse at the hands of the government, per the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Now, in an effort to right the wrongs of the past, one of the country's largest employers is committing $1 million over the next three years to help indigenous youth find work, the CBC reports.
The Co-operators insurance and investment company made the announcement Tuesday after hosting the Indigenous Youth Gathering in October.
The four-day event brought together more than 50 indigenous youth from 20 communities and six provinces to discuss issues including language, transportation, and housing, as well as what it takes to succeed in the workforce, per a press release.
Co-operators President and CEO Rob Wesseling says the idea for the Indigenous Youth Gathering came out of the company's own research, which found that Indigenous youth face many of the same issues as non-indigenous youth when it comes to finding work, including a lack of confidence, low self-esteem, and a lack of respect for their culture, the Globe and Mail reports.
"It's important for us to hear from them," Wesseling says.
"It's important for us to hear their stories."
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When Hannah Davis traveled to China to teach English, she noticed how Chinese workers and farmers were often sporting olive green army-style shoes. Those shoes served as her inspiration to create her own social enterprise, Bangs Shoes.