UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC EN ABITIBI-TÉMISCAMINGUE
Launch of the Pimiskâw scholarship competition: Supporting the success of indigenous students

The Fondation de l'UQAT (FUQAT) is proud to announce the official launch of the Pimiskâw scholarship competition, an initiative aimed at indigenous students at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT). With nearly $75,000 in scholarships available for the first edition, this program will support several university careers and recognise the excellence, perseverance and commitment of indigenous students. While helping to reduce social inequalities and promoting access to higher education, these scholarships are also intended to attract more indigenous people to post-secondary studies, and more specifically to UQAT.

The competition is the result of a close collaboration between FUQAT, UQAT's First Peoples Service (FPS), the Mamawi Mikimodan service and members of the indigenous student community. This co-creation process has made it possible to design a program that responds to the realities of indigenous students.

The Pimiskâw scholarship competition is based on UQAT's principle of territorial acknowledgement. This is a concrete demonstration of the University's commitment to valuing the knowledge, cultures and resilience of First Peoples by implementing means to promote and encourage access to studies and academic perseverance.

"We consulted the indigenous student community and collaborated with them to develop a promising program that is adapted to their context. Through this initiative, we hope to support them in their university studies while recognizing the richness of their cultures and their contributions to our university and our society," explains Karine Gareau, Executive Director of the UQAT Foundation.

A symbolic name

The name Pimiskâw was chosen following a consultation with UQAT's indigenous students. It was proposed by Jérémie Brazeau, a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe community and an English as a Second Language student at the Mont-Laurier Centre. The word refers to the action of paddling a canoe. "Being a canoeist, I associate my return to school with a trip down a river. Sometimes we run into rapids, but our canoe and our efforts will get us to where we want to go. I associate this financial aid with the canoe that helps us throughout our school career", explains Mr. Brazeau. Pimiskâw symbolises the support and perseverance needed to overcome the challenges of academic life.

Indigenous students will be invited to submit their applications from January 6 to 26, 2025. The scholarships will be awarded in part at the Vallée-de-l'Or Scholarship Gala on April 2 at the First Peoples Pavilion on the Val-d'Or campus, or according to the recipients' home campus.

Several donors have already confirmed their participation. The UQAT Foundation nevertheless invites organisations, companies and individuals wishing to support the cause by offering a scholarship to contact them.