With Canada’s youth part-time employment rate down 1.8 per cent from this time last year, many university students are struggling to raise money for tuition, let alone food or rent. One family in Lund has turned to fundraising to support their daughter’s education.
“The struggles of students to fund education is not unique to Powell River,” said Rob Hughes, career lab advisor at Career Link, “although, youth here have a smaller search area than those from larger centres and therefore not as much diversity of opportunity.”
Hughes explained that although Career Link does not track how it helps students specifically, the organization posts approximately 150 jobs a month for the Powell River area.
“With student tuition rising faster than the rate of inflation, many students have to work multiple jobs while studying just to pay tuition and the cost of living,” said Simka Marshall, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “Additionally, because of debt load and compounded interest, some students are paying more than twice the amount for school as someone paying outright for their education.”
Ayana Morgenstern, 2011 co-valedictorian at Brooks Secondary School, is heading into the fourth and final year of her honours English degree at Ottawa’s Carleton University.
Recently returned to Lund from Canada’s capital city, Ayana discovered her family was already working on a plan to support the completion of her bachelor of arts degree.
“She’s so in debt already and has been working full time in a restaurant all year to keep herself in school,” said Isabelle, Ayana’s mother. “She’s been a straight-A student her whole life because she works so hard. She’s so close to finishing school we just want to help get her there.”
Isabelle has organized a fundraiser dance with live music courtesy of the Wild Woods Social Project, food as well as a live auction.
Ayana, currently working on care packages with examples of her own poetry for fundraiser attendees, said, “I am just so excited and grateful that I live in such a supportive community.”
The dance will be held from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am Friday, July 17, at Lund Gazebo. Admission is free for children, $10 for adults.
