Campaign to raise awareness about Aboriginal education

Former Prime Minister Paul Martin speaks to students about Aboriginal history, culture and traditions at Free the Children’s We Stand Together launch at Monarch Park Collegiate. The campaign is a partnership with Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative.

The 10-day campaign for the third annual We Stand Together in Support of Aboriginal Education kicked off  Feb. 25 across the country. The initiative is a joint effort of Free The Children and the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative and will see students, educators and parents across the country learn about the challenges, achievements and contributions of Indigenous peoples in Canada. “I commend these two organizations for their leadership. A better awareness of First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples and the realities facing our communities can go a long way in breaking the many stereotypes that we still encounter in this country,” said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo. In August 2012, Free The Children polled 2,400 parents and their children to learn about philanthropic perceptions. When asked which local issue they were most passionate about, Aboriginal issues ranked the lowest amongst youth and their parents and less than half of youth and parents polled felt they had a strong understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal Canadians.