{"id":817624,"date":"2025-02-25T09:17:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T14:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/national-indigenous-youth-charity-outside-looking-in-launches-first-certificate-program-in-professional-studies-in-partnership-with-sun-life\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T09:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T14:17:54","slug":"national-indigenous-youth-charity-outside-looking-in-launches-first-certificate-program-in-professional-studies-in-partnership-with-sun-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/national-indigenous-youth-charity-outside-looking-in-launches-first-certificate-program-in-professional-studies-in-partnership-with-sun-life\/","title":{"rendered":"National Indigenous Youth Charity, Outside Looking In, Launches First Certificate Program in Professional Studies in Partnership with Sun Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Canada NewsWire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n Discovery Week, OLI’s second annual immersive career education summit takes place March 3-7<\/span> in Toronto<\/span><\/i>\n <\/p>\n

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\n TORONTO<\/span>
\n <\/span>, Feb. 25, 2025<\/span><\/span> \/CNW\/ –\u00a0Outside Looking In (OLI)<\/b>, a national Indigenous youth charity that empowers young people to complete high school through the transformative power of dance, is expanding its slate of educational programming with the launch of a new Certificate<\/b>Program in Professional Studies<\/b>, in partnership with Sun Life<\/b>. The new program is designed to provide inclusive pathways to success by bridging educational gaps for Indigenous youth living in remote communities, where geographic isolation presents a barrier to career planning resources, mentorship, professional development and career networking.<\/p>\n

The Certificate Program in Professional Studies – titled Future Leaders Next Level<\/b> – is an evolution of OLI’s long-standing Future Leaders accredited high school program for grades 10 through 12 and OLI’s Alumni Program. The restructured and formalized curriculum for OLI Alumni will now build upon on the skills developed in the high-school credit program\u00a0to provide experiences, professional networking, and qualifications necessary to excel as they pursue post-secondary education or in-demand career avenues in today’s competitive workforce.<\/p>\n

Future Leaders Next Level students also have the option to apply to take part in the second annual Discovery Week<\/b>,\u00a0an immersive career education summit taking place from March 3 – 7, 2025<\/span> in Toronto<\/span><\/b>. In partnership with Sun Life, 18 Indigenous youth from communities across Canada<\/span> will take part in seminars, hands-on learning, post-secondary discovery, and mentorship with industry leaders at Sun Life<\/b>, Microsoft<\/b>, Amazon Web Services<\/b>, IBM <\/b>and Toronto<\/span> Metropolitan University (TMU)<\/b>. Over the five days, they’ll explore careers in cloud computing, AI, sustainable resilience, human resources and post-secondary programs, as well as learn about professional skills, such as resume writing and LinkedIn profile development. Students will also leave with a developed professional profile and headshot, courtesy of Sun Life. This summit will provide participants with the opportunity to interact with professionals, build networks, and gain a deeper understanding of the career paths they are interested in pursuing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Future Leaders Next Level is designed by Dr. Hope Sanderson<\/span>, CEO of OLI, who has extensive experience in curriculum development and youth services throughout her career, including as Associate Faculty at Royal Roads University, where she conducted research to Indigenize post-secondary curriculum to increase Indigenous student success.<\/p>\n

“The newly developed certificate program takes into account the unique challenges that young Indigenous people face, especially those in remote communities, who have historically been underserved by traditional education systems,” said Sanderson<\/b>. “This certificate will equip students with the career-ready skills that are often difficult to access, empowering them to pursue meaningful careers, start their professional networking and contribute to their communities. This program is about more than education\u2014it’s about creating opportunity and building a brighter future.”<\/p>\n

“By providing Indigenous youth with hands-on experiences, mentorship opportunities, and exposure to cutting-edge fields like cloud computing and AI, we’re opening doors to exciting career paths that might otherwise seem out of reach,” said\u00a0Laura Money<\/span><\/b>, Executive Vice-President and Chief Information and Technology Innovation Officer, Sun Life. “It’s not just about building careers; it’s about empowering the next generation of Indigenous leaders who will drive innovation and positive change in their communities and beyond, we’re grateful at Sun Life to be part of that.”<\/p>\n

OLI has a proven track record of academic success, supporting positive educational outcomes for more than 1,000 Indigenous students since the inception of its accredited dance program for grades seven to 12 in 2007, and the launch of its Future Leaders High School program in 2012. OLI has achieved high-school graduation rates of 96 per cent among program participants, significantly higher than the national average of 63 per cent among Indigenous students and 46 per cent for students living on-reserve.<\/p>\n

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\n Future Leaders Next Level
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\n Certificate in Professional Studies. <\/i>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Future Leader’s Next Level builds upon OLI’s existing Alumni Program (for young people who have completed an OLI program in the past) with a formalized curriculum. The13-week course launched in January 2025<\/span> and offers a comprehensive exploration of five career streams:<\/p>\n