Ten Algonquin students awarded $2,000 PCL Constructors Dare6 Bursary

Posted on Thursday, June 15th, 2023

PCL’s partnership with Algonquin College benefits the local construction company on many fronts.

Paul Knowles, vice-president and district manager of PCL Constructors’ Ottawa office, says it means a lot to him to also be able to give back and connect with today’s students. He points to the growing association with Indigenous learners as just one of those special relationships.

“Beginning with our team’s building of the DARE District, which supports the education experience of Indigenous students in extensive ways, and then having become part of the fabric of the college as the first DARE6 partner, has been enriching and impactful to our organization and its employees. We are honoured to be able to positively affect the lives of Indigenous learners as they develop their skills and experience through the advanced education offered at Algonquin College.”

In 2021, PCL pledged $216,000 over six years to the DARE6 initiative, which supports indigenization efforts at Algonquin – such as the expansion of the Three Sisters Garden at the Ottawa campus.  

DARE6 is a collaborative partnership Algonquin has entered with select corporate stakeholders to help further the College’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

The concept is based on an Indigenous governance model derived from the Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, Confederacy dating back a thousand years. The Confederacy, sometimes described as one of the world’s oldest participatory democracies, included the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora.

Occupying what is now Upper New York State and southeastern Quebec and Ontario, these six tribes united under the Great Law of Peace. The Great Law, with its emphasis on living in peace, harmony, and respect is considered both a political constitution and a cultural description of Haudenosaunee society.

Algonquin College drew on the history of the Iroquois Confederacy in wanting to establish special partnerships between the College and six corporate stakeholders – hence, the DARE6 moniker.

A $2,000 PCL Constructors Dare6 Bursary was recently awarded to each of 10 lucky Algonquin students.

The bursary is awarded to students demonstrating financial need enrolled in four programs at the Ottawa, Perth, Pembroke and on-line campuses, including Early Childhood Education, Office Administration (General), Office Administration (Executive) and Business.

“We welcome and appreciate the generosity of PCL in joining us in transforming the hopes and dreams of Algonquin students into lifelong success and together empowering globally minded learners through this generous gift,” said Mark Savenkoff, Vice-President of Advancement and Strategy at Algonquin.

Crystal Lafond was one of this year’s lucky recipients of PCL’s ongoing generosity.

“I greatly appreciate the bursary I was awarded since I am currently living alone in Ottawa to attend school,” said Lafond, who comes from a Cree community 18 hours from Ottawa in northern Quebec.

“I had to move away from my family and support system in order to pursue my education,” Lafond added. “I had to learn how to budget and make do with what I have, and this bursary will help me a lot to get by since I don’t have anyone else to help me with expenses.”

She recently attained her goal to graduate from Algonquin’s Office Administration program.

Lafond chose to attend Algonquin “because I knew it had a lot of Indigenous resources and the Indigenous Studies program sparked my interest to start my post-secondary education.”

She hopes to be accepted into Biomedical Laboratory Technology at Dawson College this fall.

A second Indigenous student (who asked to remain anonymous) is able to continue her studies at Algonquin thanks to a PCL bursary.

“This bursary will be put towards my future tuition fees and textbooks to help make my dream job come true and ensure I do the best I possibly can at helping children and have an impact on their lives,” said the student, who is currently enrolled in the Early Childhood Educator program. “I really enjoy working with young children and it is my dream job to assist in preparing them for their future academics and help develop essential skills.”


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