January 2023
Spend just a couple of minutes on the BIRM USask facebook page and you’ll sense the variety of supports the program offers. From homework help and Elder support to promoting exciting events like Indigenous Artist night at the Remai Modern or sharing scenes from the atosketan summer work program – the good intentions are evident and the relevance to learning and connection with Indigenous ways are clear. Fun hashtags like #feelthebirm and #birmbabybirm populate posts alongside the more program-themed like #mentorship, #indigenousyouth and #Usaskindigenous. The tags reflect the wide-range of programming that shape BIRM from fun to developmental to life-changing.
BIRM stands for Building Intercultural Resilience Mentorship. Started in the 2020/2021 school year under another funder, BIRM is now part of Oyateki Partnership’s projects. The program operates during the school year (September – June) and is now midway through its second iteration. In partnership with Saskatoon Public Schools, BIRM pairs Indigenous high school student participants with USask undergrad and grad student mentors, both Indigenous and non-indigenous. It is eight months of relationship-building, learning, developing and growing. Current participating Saskatoon schools are Bedford Road, Mount Royal and Tommy Douglas Collegiates which were chosen in part because of their student bodies having high percentages of Indigenous students.
BIRM is modeled after two successful programs, “Niijii” Aboriginal Mentorship Program at Lakehead University in Ontario and the Ganbina JOBS4U2 Program in Australia. Both programs have proven that providing meaningful and community-based supports can improve the socio-economic futures for Indigenous students.
These programs gave incentive for USask to develop the program. The Vice Provost Indigenous Engagement at the time, Dr. Jackie Ottman, was familiar with Niijii and Ganbina and wanted to bring the same opportunities to youth in Saskatoon to effect the same positive social change.
The main goal has been to inspire Indigenous students to consider post-secondary education. Additional aspirations include envisioning possibilities for the future, building confidence, developing leadership and academic abilities and making informed decisions.
The mentor – mentee structure is student-led. Weekly sessions are based on what the students want out of the program, and aim to provide as many opportunities as possible.
“Support and love are part of the programing … Not only are the students participating in BIRM seeing Indigenous leaders in the project, but are also exposed to elders, knowledge keepers, and community members mentoring and caring for them through engagement and education.” (BIRM Annual Report, 2021-2022, Dr. Angela Jaime, p. 4).
Mentors and mentees were surveyed and interviewed at the end of the first year to gain insight on the program’s effectiveness. The results were very positive and bode well for further development of the program. Here is what one student had to say:
“As a learner, I feel like I’ve definitely improved from my past self. Socially as of late, I find myself navigating through social interactions with ease … Long term educational goals were never something I worried about, but recently I’ve been giving it more thought”.
It is this kind of positivity and confidence for the future that the program hoped to inspire. Youth are definitely #feeling-the-BIRM.
For more information about the BIRM program, visit indigenous.usask.ca/engagement/birm, Instagram @birmusask and facebook Birm Usask.
Top: BIRM students visit the U of S campus
Above: Mentees and mentors enjoy time around the fire on the year-end trip to Alberta’s Rocky Mountains