A first-of-its-kind initiative delivering post-secondary education directly to Indigenous youth within their own communities, with local Traditional and Cultural Knowledge intentionally interwoven throughout the curriculum.
The Building Capacity Together (BCT) initiative directly supports education and skill development by creating access to meaningful, hands-on learning within Indigenous communities.
Your investment will:
- Build community and economic sovereignty for Indigenous people.
- Providing Indigenous youth with tangible, meaningful education, and decision-making opportunities — all while earning post-secondary credits towards an environmental diploma and/or degree.
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Help students find their career path.
Project Forest is partnering with WestWillow and Lakeland College, to transform how education and opportunity grow in Indigenous communities.
This partnership delivers land-based environmental science courses that blend academic learning with local Indigenous cultural and traditional knowledge, creating a deeply community-rooted experience. By starting college education at home, the BCT Program builds confidence, skills, and belonging before students transition to Lakeland College. With ongoing support and a lighter course load, learners are set up for success — bridging the gap between community and classroom and fostering education, empowerment, and leadership.
Learn how you can support the program
Foundational Collaborators
Frog Lake First Nation
Careers Employment and Training
Lakeland College
School of Environmental Sciences
Onion Lake Cree Nation
Post Secondary Education
There is a gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians with regards to education and employment.
Credits will be recognized by Lakeland College towards any of the 5 Environmental Science diploma programs and/or the Applied Degree program, transferrable, and represented on an academic Lakeland Transcript.
Accredited College Classes
Introductory Soil Science
3 Credits
Limnology: Lakes and Rivers
3 Credits
Traditional Knowledge
3 Credits
Environmental Mapping & GIS
3 Credits
Project Development Partners
WestWillow Environmental Inc. is an environmental firm that partners with Indigenous communities, industry and educational institutions as a trusted advisor and advocate, valuing respectful, culturally grounded relationships and meaningful collaboration. The company is passionate about education and the passage of knowledge, building true life-long capacity, local opportunity and community, while empowering Indigenous ownership and economic sovereignty through informed land and natural resource decision-making.
Project Forest is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with conservation groups, First Nations, and the Canadian business community to build forests and provide Indigenous youth with natural resource training. We are an approved organization for 1% for the Planet and Benevity. To date, we have planted over 1,000,000 seedlings and secured funding from 70+ organizations.
Support the Student
We are currently raising seed funding for course foundations. Support the program to develop the next generation of environmental scientists.
Sign up for information on enrollment!
If you are interested in enrolling in the program, sign up for updates on program timing.