King's College to cover tuition for 3 Mi'kmaw journalism students a year

One Halifax university is removingbarriers for Mi'kmaw students hoping to enter the journalism field by covering the cost of tuition for a cohort of students.

The University of King's College announced last week that it had developed the initiative in consultation with Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey, a Mi'kmaweducation authority, to encourageMi'kmaw students to study journalism and to better support all Indigenous students at the school.

The university is investing $600,000 over five years. Beginningin 2023, the initiative will support up to three students studying in the undergraduate bachelor of journalism program each academic year through bursaries, scholarships and tuition waivers.

The students must be endorsed by their community and meet King's admission requirements.

Trina Roache, the Rogers chair in journalism at King's College,is L'nu(Mi'kmaw for person of the land) from Glooscap First Nation in Nova Scotia. She helped in developing the Mi'kmaw journalism initiative and is hopeful that more Mi'kmaw youth see journalism as acareer path.

"It's so key that we're represented in our stories but also that we're telling our stories," said Roache.

She said when Indigenous journalists cover their own communities, they come in with a specialized knowledge and context. Roache said that knowledge can be vital to communities feeling well represented.

She remembers in her journalism career often being the only reporter walking around the First Nation and feeling alone. Roache saidtherewere a lot of stories that went untold because it was just her and she saidshehopes this initiative can start to change that.

"Diversity just makes newsrooms better," said Roache.

Roache saidshe'll also travel to communities to encourage Indigenous youth to give journalism a try. She saidjournalism is fun and she would love to see other Mi'kmaq pursue it.

Ann Sylliboy, is a post-secondary consultant at Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey,helped develop theinitiative. She saidher organizationwants to see Mi'kmaqsucceed and be involved in every sector of the Canadian economy.

"Part of it is getting our people into production, reporting and all of the stuff involved in media," said Sylliboy, who is L'nu from Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia.

She said she hopes that with more Indigenous people in newsrooms, more Canadians willsee things through an Indigenous lens.

Sylliboysaidshe hopes that when students seemore Mi'kmaqin journalism, itwillencourage more Mi'kmaqto enter the field.