Iyeskuwiiu Springboard to DCS Program

Complete CEGEP courses, learn about your culture, and prepare for post-secondary – all from your home community!

Act quickly!
SRAM applications are due April 16, application essays are due April 30.
See application steps.

For more information, contact your school guidance counsellor or email Daisy Fry at .

The Iyeskuwiiu Springboard to DCS is a new, one-year program offered by the Cree School Board in partnership with John Abbott College.

If you are a Secondary V graduate or on track to graduate this year, this is a great opportunity to:

Deepen your Cree identity through CEGEP-level courses such as Contemporary Issues, Cree Language, and land-based Physical Education.
Gain credits towards your Diploma of College Studies (DCS).
Join a class of other motivated youth from across Eeyou Istchee.

Information Package

Download our Information Package

Virtual Information Session

About the Program

Program length

Full-time, two-semester program. Begins August 2021 and ends May 2022.

Program requirements

Open to Cree beneficiaries living in Eeyou Istchee with a Secondary V Diploma.

Program delivery

Combination of online learning & land-based education. Online courses can be taken from home or your local adult education facility; land-based physical education classes will be 5-day intensive courses on the land.

What you’ll earn

Successful students will complete up to nine (9) accredited courses towards a Diploma of College Studies, transferable to any English Quebec CEGEP.

Student supports

Students will have access to a student laptop, workspace (if desired) and in-person tutoring support from Sabtuan Adult Education Services. Students may also be eligible for funding from the Cree School Board. In addition, student will have access to virtual resources from John Abbott College’s Indigenous Resource Centre.

How to Apply

Step 1

Complete a SRAM application

Deadline: April 16, 2021

In SRAM (admission.sram.qc.ca), you will select the following:

Choice of College: John Abbott College
Program: 081.06 Springboard to a DCS
Particularity: Pathways to a Career (Exploration/Orientation)
Intended Program: Social Science – First Nations

Full instructions are available on page 4 of our pdf information package .

We strongly recommend completing your application at your school with the help of a guidance counsellor.

If you choose to complete the application at home, you must inform your guidance counsellor that you have applied.

Step 2

Let your guidance counsellor or contact person know you have applied

Deadline: April 16, 2021

Your guidance counsellor must inform the college of the application so they can retrieve it from the system and cover the application fee (your fee will be paid by Cree School Board). Your application will be complete only once you have informed the Cree School Board that you have applied.

Students enrolled or recently graduated from the youth sector: Please inform your school guidance counsellor. If you are unsure who to contact, you may email Daisy Fry at .

Adult education graduates: Please inform your adult education teacher or email Daisy Fry at .

When you inform your guidance counsellor, you will be asked to share your language course preference (French or Cree). This information will be provided to the college to help inform course selection.

Step 3

Complete an application essay/video by email to

Deadline: April 30, 2021

The Iyeskuwiiu application requires you to either produce a 2-3 minute video presentation or a 250-500 word typed essay on one of the following topics:

Importance of Preserving the Cree Culture and Language
Rites of Passage and Ceremonial Events
Youth Empowerment
Why does the Canadian Government need to Recognize Indigenous People?
Effects of Residential Schools
Issues Facing Indigenous Peoples/the Cree Nation
The Pros and Cons of Living in the North
What Eeyou Istchee Means to Me
A Hero in the Cree Nation
A Grand Chief in the Cree Nation
Impacts of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
Who are the Indigenous People of Eeyou Istchee?
Who are the Indigenous People of Canada?
Opportunities in the Eeyou Istchee
Importance of Education

Your work must be supervised by someone that will confirm you completed it on your own. This person can be a principal, teacher, Band Council member, Guidance Counsellor/Career Counsellor or any other professional in the community.

If you choose to submit a written essay:

Your essay must be submitted in .doc or .docx (Microsoft Word format), double spaced.
Email the document to .
In your submission email, provide your name and community as well as the name and position of your supervisor.

If you choose to submit a video:

Submit your video by sending it to . You can use www.wetransfer.com to upload and send your video.
Please identify your supervisor in the message accompanying your video transfer. Your supervisor may be asked to confirm that your video matches the script you wrote under their supervision.

To review the essay rubric, see page 12-13 of our information package .

Cree School Board

Telephone: 418-923-2764
Toll Free: 1-866-999-2764

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