FILE PHOTO - The province has created a bursary for post-secondary students named in honour of the late Katherine McParland of Kamloops, seen in this undated file photo.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK / Katherine McParland

A new bursary is now open to post-secondary students in B.C. experiencing unstable housing named in honour of the late Katherine McParland, a Kamloops youth advocate.

The $1,000 bursary is aimed toward social work or community service students, continuing McParland's legacy within youth homelessness advocacy.

“We are so pleased to announce this bursary in memory of Katherine, who was such a dedicated advocate for youth, and a dear friend and colleague," Cassie Doyle of B.C. Housing said in a news release.

“She was courageous in pushing for the meaningful inclusion of youth with lived experience in decisions that affected them. This award is a way to continue Katherine’s legacy and work by giving back to the next generation of advocates and change makers.”

Before her sudden death in 2020, McParland founded the non-profit A Way Home Kamloops, an organization that provides housing and support services to youth at risk or experiencing homelessness.

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She was also involved in other organizations like the B.C. Coalition to End Youth Homelessness and the federal Advisory Committee on Homelessness.

“Katherine improved the lives of everyone she met, and this award will help carry on her important work,” said Mitzi Dean, Minister of Children and Family Development. “I would like to thank B.C. Housing for ensuring Katherine’s contributions are well recognized. Her legacy will live on in generations of youth to come.”

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The news release does not say how many B.C. students will be awarded the bursary in a year, but it is open to people aged 18 to 25 that will be living in a B.C. Housing development when the semester begins.

To apply, students must be enrolled in a B.C. post-secondary or vocational school with a focus on social work or community services. They must also be a full-time student in September of the application year, according to the news release.

More information about the bursary can be found here.

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