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Storwell Offers an Annual Bursary of $2,000 to Help Foster Children Pursue Post-Secondary Education

Thursday, January 12, 2023 9:37 AM | Caine Smith (Administrator)


According to the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, right now there are approximately 63,000 Canadian children living in permanent care with foster families, extended family, or in group homes. These children and youths often experience difficulties gaining access to adequate education opportunities, especially when it comes to post-secondary education. For every 1,000 youths in Canadian foster care, only eight go on to graduate with a post-secondary education. One of the largest barriers to entry for children in foster care is the financial burden that comes along with post-secondary education.

The financial burden of post-secondary education is felt particularly strongly by Indigenous children, who continue to be overrepresented within the Canadian foster care system. Statistics Canada‘s latest release of 2021 census data shows Indigenous children accounted for 53.8 per cent of all children in foster care. This number has gone up slightly compared to the 2016 census, when Indigenous children accounted for 52.2 per cent of children in care.

The vast majority of former foster youth wish to attend university, yet fewer qualified former foster youth pursue post-secondary education compared to their peers. When university or post-secondary education is pursued, significantly fewer former foster youth finish their studies compared to same age peers. This lack of advanced education can have a substantial impact on a former foster youth’s employment opportunities moving forward. The difference in earnings over a lifetime is over a million dollars between a university graduate and someone who did not complete high school.

In response to the growing number of foster children and youth in care that struggle to afford post-secondary studies, Storwell has developed the Foster Children Bursary Program. Along with providing secure and affordable self-storage units in Toronto, Storwell is also devoted to helping out the community through various charitable causes and social initiatives. The aim of the bursary program is to provide foster children and youth in care with resources and opportunities that might be otherwise unavailable to them. With the proper tools, these students can work towards building a better life for themselves through the pursuit of higher education.

Storwell offers an annual bursary of $2,000 to help foster children attend post-secondary schools and to offer a hand up as they make their way forward in life. Eligibility requirements and access to the application form can be found at: https://www.storwell.com/bursary-application



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