We are committed to strengthening how we connect with and support young people across our region. Create Your Possibilities is our Youth Initiatives Strategy, a coordinated, community-informed commitment to ensuring youth can discover their options, feel a sense of belonging, and explore post-secondary pathways with confidence. 

This strategy was shaped by the voices of youth, families, educators, school districts, and communities across the North. It reflects what we heard through consultation and outlines how we will show up for young people at every stage of their journey, from early awareness in the elementary years through to the transition into post-secondary. 

Learn More about our Youth Initiatives Strategy

Our Vision

Youth see us as a place where they belong: welcoming, inclusive, and connected to their communities. 

Youth and their families understand options earlier, including pathways, prerequisites, and opportunities available to them. 

Youth feel confident and supported to explore, ask questions, and take steps toward post-secondary education.

Our Focus Areas

 Focus One: Early Awareness & Exploration

We know that decisions about the future begin well before formal applications or course selection. By engaging youth in the elementary and middle school years, we help build awareness, curiosity, and a sense of belonging, creating opportunities to explore interests and begin to see post-secondary education as accessible and relevant, including opportunities to learn, live, and work in the North while staying connected to home communities.

 Focus Two: Youth Engagement & Experiences

Hands-on, meaningful experiences are central to how youth connect with post-secondary education. We are expanding accessible, pathway-connected opportunities for youth to engage with us through on-campus and community-based experiences, from youth conferences and skills competitions to dual credit and career exploration days that build interest, familiarity, and confidence.

 Focus Three: Pathways & Transitions

For youth, the path to post-secondary can feel unclear or out of reach. We are improving how youth and families understand and navigate their options, simplifying communication around applications, registration, and key timelines, and providing dedicated transition support to help students move forward with clarity and confidence. 

 Focus Four: Partnerships & Community Connections

Strong youth engagement is built through collaboration. We are deepening our partnerships with school districts, Indigenous communities, and organizations that serve youth to align efforts, co-develop programming, and expand access to opportunities across the region. By working together, we can ensure our approaches are responsive to the unique needs and realities of each community we serve. 

Access and belonging, a lens across all focus areas: 

  • Reducing barriers to participation, including transportation, cost, and timing. 

  • Fostering welcoming, inclusive environments where youth feel supported and represented. 

  • Ensuring youth can see themselves, their identities, and their communities reflected in post-secondary pathways. 

  • Strengthening approaches that build connection, confidence, and a sense of belonging across all stages of the youth journey.