Educational Scholarships

Rural/remote students in Canada face huge barriers in accessing education and therefore Canadian rural/remote students have lower academic performance in all areas and drop-out at almost double the rate as their urban counterparts.  Youth on Cortes face all these challenges and more as they must leave their homes and communities entirely to access secondary and post-secondary education. The dramatic impacts of losing families and youth on Cortes have shown up in the Local Economic Action Plan as a priority to address if we are to creating a sustainable local economy and the results show up all over in the Vital Signs report in the profound impact it has had on the community, culture, and economics of the island.

 Our Children are Our Future. The Cortes Island Community Foundation is partnering with community members, organizations, and those passionate about youth to imagine a community where every child has access to education that works for them.  We have done this by supporting the founding of the place-based secondary school program, the  Cortes Island Academy and the Cortes Island Bursary Program,  partnering on the Cortes Island School Innovation Fund, and running Folk University (Cortes Literacy), and managing the Dr. Emily Ellingsen Memorial Bursary in partnership with Emily’s family.