Mogus sisters learn of student challenges at Pelican Falls

As Julia Mogus stood in a residence that houses First Nations youth who attend Pelican Falls First Nations High School, she marvelled at the distance the students have to travel just to achieve their high school diploma.
“I don’t even want to stay in residence when I go to university,” the 15-year-old remarked.
Julia and her sister Emma visited the high school during a short stay in Sioux Lookout while on their way to Fort Severn First Nation.
Back home in Oakville, Ont., which is near Toronto, the sisters drive 15 minutes to get to school every day. There are even closer options with a school within walking distance.
“I couldn’t imagine having to go hundreds of kilometers from your family,” Julia said. “We’d get so homesick being away from family and friends. It’d be hard to be away from the food and activities that you’re used to.”
Emma said they were aware of the challenges youth in the north had to face to attend school, but it was something else to see it herself.
“We knew they had to go away from their families, but we didn’t have that right there and then moment where we saw it,” the 14-year-old said. “It’s something that I would not know how to manage.”
The girls met some students who were graduating that day.
Pam Damoff, a town councilor of Oakville who travelled with the sisters, was moved to tears by the story of the youth who was the first in his family to graduate.
Oakville has a population of 180,000, and there are six schools in her ward alone, and about 50-60 schools throughout the city.
She said youth down south take for granted how they are able to graduate high school near their homes, but it is a big challege for those in the north.
“For those kids, it’s been a struggle and it hasn’t been easy and they did it,” she said. “What a huge accomplishment.”
Despite the challenges, Damoff said she found hope at Pelican Falls.
“One of the young men we met said he wouldn’t have graduated if he hadn’t come to Pelican Falls,” she said. “The staff seem amazing, and they’re doing some incredible work with the kids that come in there.”