The Indigenous Transition Program, known as ITP, at Cambrian College in Sudbury helps students moving to the city prepare and adapt to college life. Many in the program are from remote communities. The program aims to create a supportive environment and give students a sense of belonging. First-year Indigenous student Micheal Ann Cassidy Basso, 18, arrived at Cambrian two weeks early to take part in a free program to help her get settled into college. “At first, I didn’t know it was going to be as helpful as it was, but I was incredibly surprised to find out how much was actually available to me at this program. How much they actually set you up to make sure that you are successful starting the next chapter in college,” she said. Haiden Morrison, 24, is from the Sagamok First Nation, he took part in the program three years ago and is now a mentor for it. “We have some students that are seven hours away from their communities,” he said. “It’s a big difference, a big change for them. We are allowing opportunity to explore and navigate the city properly to make it easy on their college life moving forward.” Friday was the final day of the program wrapping up with a sharing circle. ITP includes academic preparation, holistic support and cultural teachings. “There is some people that came into the program that didn’t have much in their childhood like they didn’t practise much and they were able to kind reconnect through this program and realize they actually did want to be more in touch with their culture,” said Basso. Basso said ITP helped her build confidence. “I feel a lot less nervous and I feel very confident in starting the school year. Incredibly impressed by how well they manage this program,” said Basso. ITP started as a pilot project in 2020 and officials at Cambrian College told CTV News it is now a permanent program.
