Youth-in-Care Financial Assistance
Flexible and Meaningful Support at Selkirk College
Selkirk College’s Current and Former Youth in-Care Financial Assistance Program, is an initiative aimed at making post-secondary education more accessible for youth in care.
Selkirk College offers flexible and meaningful support to encourage success for youth in care students. It is recognized that youth in care come to post-secondary education with considerably more barriers than students with intact and close family ties. In the absence of family, youth in care are often scrambling to find the basics such as dishes, bedding, or a computer to complete their course work.
Through the Healthy Campus Initiative, a considered and holistic approach ensures individual needs are assessed and specific referrals made. A student peer mentor may also be assigned to assist with orientation to campus life.
Under the Youth in Care program, we also welcome current secondary students and their community support workers and/or foster parents to join us on campus through the Student for a Day program, Career Fair, Open House or specially arranged campus tour.
Tuition Waiver Program - Applying
Contact the Tuition Waiver Point Person, Ewnet Demisse, at edemisse @ selkirk .ca for more information...
Resources for Former Youth in Care
Youth Advocate: The Representative for Children and Youth supports children, youth and families who need help in dealing with the child-serving system.
Youth Education Assistance Fund for Former Youth in Care (YEAF): The YEAF program provides grants of up to $5,500 per program year to former B.C. youth in care students between 19 and 24 years of age. Students may receive a maximum of four grants. Both the student and Financial Aid complete the YEAF application along with the Confirmation of Enrollment which is then submitted to StudentAid BC. Allow 4 - 6 weeks for processing.
Tuition Waiver Program for Former Youth in Care: The Tuition Waiver program waives tuition and mandatory fees for B.C. post-secondary students who are former youth in care between the ages of 19 and up to their 27th birthday. The program applies to full-time and part-time certificates, diplomas and undergraduate degrees.
Youth Futures Education Fund: The Youth Futures Education Fund has been established to provide a grant to recipients of the Former Youth in Care Provincial Tuition Waiver, to assist with supplemental educational funding for expenses such as books, housing, utilities, or emergency situations.
Public Guardian and Trustee Educational Assistance Fund bursaries are awarded annually in consultation with the Ministry of Children and Family Development from a limited fund to high school graduates who are 19-years-old or over and pursuing a post-secondary academic, technical or vocational program. Deadline April 15.
Federation of Community Social Services of BC Bursary: This bursary is available to current and former youth in care under CCO’s, TCO’s, YAG’s, VCA’s, and SNA’s. You must be under 25 years old and attending or planning to attend some form of education leading to a career in social or human services. The application for this bursary is usually posted online in January and the application deadline is May of the same year. The funds will be disbursed in time for use in the fall semester (September). The maximum amount received from this bursary is $2,000 per year.
Federation of BC Youth in Care Network Dream Fund: There are two bursaries available through the Dream Fund: the Education Achievement Bursary and the Reach for Success Bursary. Each is available to current or former youth (between the ages of 14 and 24) who have been in care for one year (cumulative) under any legal status. The Education Achievement bursary is to be used for post-secondary programming of any type, at any accredited school. The Reach for Success Bursary is to be used for short-term courses, workshops, conferences or tutoring. There are three application deadlines per year- check their website for more information.
Youth In Care Canada- Ken Dryden Scholarship: This scholarship is available to former or current youth in care (any status), under the age of 30, working towards the completion of an undergraduate degree or diploma in Canada. The application deadline is around the beginning of April each year, for a student intending to begin their studies the following September. The maximum amount received from this scholarship is $3000 per year.
BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations- William Curtis Memorial Fund: This bursary is awarded to a current or former child in care, over the age of 19 and residing in British Columbia. It can be used for completion of high school or any other form of education pursuit where other funding is not available. Applications should be received by May of each year and the amount is dependent on a number of factors. The BCFFPA also has other scholarships available to former youth in care- info available on the website noted above.
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC, formerly AANDC): Funding available to Indigenous young people preparing to attend or already attending post-secondary.
Ted Rogers Scholarship Fund : The Ted Rogers Scholarship Fund aims to provide access to post-secondary education and reward youth who demonstrate community leadership. The TRSF is now open for its fourth year to 150 young people through 14 national partner organizations, including 22 students through Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada! Those eligible to apply through the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s application stream must have spent time in government care.