From a unique personal perspective, thirteen woman tell of their journeys towards the significant goal of a university degree. Although from different backgrounds, language groups and experiences, these woman share the common thread of Aboriginal heritage. Some faced the added challenge of family responsibilities while others pursued academic degrees as younger students. From Bachelor to Masters to LL B degrees, their chosen paths led them to universities across Australia and even to prestigious Harvard University in the US.

This book provides invaluable guidance for community, school and university-based educators who are evaluating their educational philosophies and practices to support Indigenizing education. The examples from Australia and Canada shared in this book illustrate how Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators have worked together to Indigenize their educational practices, showcasing community empowerment and reconciliation agendas. It also enables beginning educators to gain a meaningful and critical understanding of what Indigenizing education can mean in their own future practice.

More Indigenous Australians are realizing their potential but many remain significantly disadvantaged compared to other Australians on all socio-economic indicators and one of the most disadvantaged peoples in the world. Increasing successful outcomes in Indigenous Higher Education is recognized as vital in addressing this disadvantage and closing

"From 1950, increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Māori women became nationally or internationally renowned. Few reached the heights of international fame accorded Evonne Goolagong or Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and few remained household names for any length of time. But their growing numbers and visibility reflected the dramatic social, cultural and political changes taking place in Australia and New Zealand in the second half of the twentieth century. This book is the first in-depth study of media portrayals of well-known Indigenous women in Australia and New Zealand, including Goolagong, Te Kanawa, Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Dame Whina Cooper. The power of the media in shaping the lives of individuals and communities, for good or ill, is widely acknowledged. In these pages, Karen Fox examines an especially fascinating and revealing aspect of the media and its history -- how prominent Māori and Aboriginal women were depicted for the readers of popular media in the past."--Publisher's description.

In British Columbia, like most of the world, the wealth of the richest one percent has grown exponentially in recent decades, while the majority have found their incomes stagnant or even declining. The top 10 percent in BC now hold 56.2 percent of the wealth, a greater share than anywhere else in Canada. Our richest have wealth counted in the billions while the poorest sleep in downtown doorways, or have to choose between medicine and food. Those in the middle report working harder without getting ahead and many British Columbians owe more than they own. To illustrate the wide-ranging ramifications of inequality, MacLeod interviews economists, politicians, policy-makers and activists, as well as those living on the edge: a single parent whose child support payments are clawed back by the government; a 25-year-old struggling to live on disability payments who won’t share his identity for fear of repercussions from the system; a security guard who wasn’t given bathroom breaks, didn’t drink water at work and eventually had to have a kidney removed as a result of severe dehydration. Some assume that such disparity is inevitable even in BC, a wealthy province lauded by the government as “The Best Place on Earth.” However, MacLeod deftly argues that British Columbians are living with the consequences of short-sighted public policies, and adjusting those policies can achieve a different set of results. Informative, well-researched, cautionary and hopeful, A Better Place on Earth provides an in-depth look at inequality and suggests what British Columbians can do to make sure everyone’s basic needs are met, pull back stratospheric incomes and create a fairer society.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book brings together contributions by researchers, scholars, policy-makers, practitioners, professionals and citizens who have an interest in or experience of Indigenous pathways and transitions into higher education. University is not for everyone, but a university should be for everyone. To a certain extent, the choice not to participate in higher education should be respected given that there are other avenues and reasons to participate in education and employment that are culturally, socially and/or economically important for society. Those who choose to pursue higher education should do so knowing that there are multiple pathways into higher education and, once there, appropriate support is provided for a successful transition. The book outlines the issues of social inclusion and equity in higher education, and the contributions draw on real-world experiences to reflect the different approaches and strategies currently being adopted. Focusing on research, program design, program evaluation, policy initiatives and experiential narrative accounts, the book critically discusses issues concerning widening participation.