The Educo Student Fund
The Educo Student Fund creates the opportunity for young people and their families who need it most to access Educo.
The money we raise for this fund allows us to do two things:
1: Offer partial and full Educo Scholarships for specific “on the edge” youth identified by partner First Nation youth workers, social workers, counsellors, teachers, community leaders, etc. around the province.
2: Offer our Barrier-Free Tiered Pricing System where people can privately select the price they wish to pay for a course with no questions asked to the family should they pick subsidized options. Educoʼs programs are already considerably less expensive than similar length courses offered by Outward Bound and other organizations but even at these rates, parents often find it hard to cover the costs. We feel that this tiered pricing option will allow families to create opportunities for their children in a dignified way. We also feel that courses filled with a variety of students from different backgrounds have the best capacity to transform the individuals.
Educo Thanks its Supporters
Thanks the dedication, support and genorousity of the following organizations and individuals, many students and families will be able to access Educo this year.
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The Story of the Educo Student Fund
For the past 40 years we have witnessed many young people from around the world participate in Educo programs and go on to become assets to society. There is a great deal of research on the benefits and transformational effects of powerful outdoor experiences and there is no doubt about the value of offering these experiences to young people from every sort of background.
The question we asked ourselves recently is this: How can we best provide these transformational outdoor opportunities to the young people who need it most given our current economic conditions? After consulting with community leaders and several organizations including the Ministry of Children and Family Development, The BC Healthy Living Alliance, Big Brothers and Sisters, the Child Development Centre, our local Community Development Council and representatives from School Districts and many First Nation organizations, we have come to two very powerful realizations.
One is that in our society there currently exists a significant population of “on the edge” youth who are desperately in need of an opportunity to develop self esteem and discover hope and responsibility. These youth are not in full-time government care nor are they receiving assistance or punishment, yet they are known widely to service providers, teachers and youth counsellors. They are the children of social welfare clients, the friends of offenders, and the sort of kids you really wish you could do something for but you are not sure how to help. While many of these youth are on a path toward becoming offenders and adult social service clients who will need to access welfare, housing, food, the court system etc., many of these youth could choose a different path after powerful opportunities to connect with role models, challenge themselves in the natural world and discover their inherent strengths. 40 years of experience offering this type of opportunity to youth around the world allows us to say with confidence that this type of opportunity can change the course of a personʼs life.
The other realization we had was that in this economy and at this time, we must expand our outreach efforts to extend Educoʼs opportunities to the increasing numbers of families in need. Many loggers, resource workers, unemployed people, and business owners who have recently lost income would love the chance to send their son or daughter off to discover a sense of inner resilience and excitement at an Educo course but they simply cannot afford to do so.
Click on the Donate Now button to donate by credit card online via our secure online donation partner CanadaHelps.org.
