A Calgary-based Indigenous mentorship organization is preparing to launch its nation-wide online program after receiving a generous donation from Canadian celebrity Ryan Reynolds and wife, Blake Lively. 

Influence is an Indigenous-owned and operated organization working collaboratively with post-secondary institutions across the nation to partner Indigenous students in Canadian colleges, universities and polytechnic institutions with suitable mentors. The organization’s guiding principles include the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action as well as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Influence is focused on creating greater opportunities for Indigenous post-secondary students while raising awareness for Indigenous issues, culture and history. 

Colby Delorme, Co-Founder and Board Chairperson of Influence Mentoring Society

Originally founded in 2014, the organization has spent several years pursuing proper funding, and will now officially be implementing their program in September 2021 after receiving the $250,000 celebrity donation.
Colby Delorme, Co-founder and Board Chairperson of Influence, expressed the sincere gratitude he and his team have for Lively and Reynolds for using their voices to amplify Influence’s cause. “It’s amazing that they are taking on this type of initiative and creating opportunities for Indigenous people,” he says, “we’re very grateful for their support.” Delorme says the funding will allow the organization to flourish and pursue its full potential while illuminating the greater, ongoing conversation surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion. 

The funding announcement was originally released in early March, and already five post-secondary institutions with more than 6000 self-identified Indigenous students across Canada have come forward to express their interest in the program. To be eligible for participation in Influence Mentoring Society, students must be Indigenous and enrolled in a post-secondary institution of any kind. New or returning students are considered equally, as anyone can be a student at any age. 

Influence Mentoring is designed to aid in the success of Indigenous students in their post-secondary and post-graduate careers by pairing them with mentors who have a shared background in the students program of studies. Specifically, the organization focuses on closing the gap in education and employment that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada. A 2016 First Nations Post-Secondary Education Report released by the Assembly of First Nations highlights the “overall gap in post-secondary education between First Nations and non-Indigenous people is directly related to the persistent gap in university attainment. This university attainment gap has remained at around 22 percentage points” (1). 

“This pursuit really started as a way to give back,” says Delorme, who has relied on ongoing mentorship relationships himself throughout the course of his own career. “These mentorship relationships will give Indigenous students the type of supports they are lacking. This program is designed to take individuals from a place of feeling alone or isolated in their academic pursuit, and give them a feeling of community and support.”
Mentor and protégé partnerships are formed in the interest of fostering a culturally appropriate environment of inclusivity and learning, where students feel they are welcome and understood. “Eliminating these gaps and ultimately increasing Indigenous representation in the private sector, including in management and executive positions, should be a shared journey,” says Delorme. 

Delorme and his co-founders have been busy responding to the overwhelming expression of interest in the program, and are working on accommodating as many students as possible for the upcoming Fall 2021 semester. 

To learn more about Influence Mentoring, visit https://influencementoring.com

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