Erin Knight 

I learned early on in my life that communities like mine don’t always have a voice, especially not on the national or international stage. That’s when I decided that I was going to work—not just for the sustainable future of my community but for rural communities everywhere. Two key issues I’m passionate about in this area of sustainability work are closing the digital divide and empowering rural youth in Canada, particularly by improving access to post-secondary education. I am inspired every day by young rural leaders who are building a better, more sustainable future for their small communities and see education and internet access as two major areas I can contribute to in order to help them succeed.

My communities are at the core of everything that I do. When I am advocating for improved internet access in rural areas, I have my hometown, my kin, and the Metis Nation on my mind and the ways that affordable, high-quality connectivity can empower us. When I am working with my team at FRYE to make post-secondary education more accessible for rural youth, I am energized by the strong support of folks from my home community – we connect on our shared hope for the futures of our young people and stand together to make sure the next generation doesn’t face the same barriers we did.

With so many wicked problems in front of us that impact us all, I see partnership and collaboration to be similar to laying every possible tool out on the table to tackle these issues. Instead of trying to work in silos, we need everyone to bring something: their expertise, their lived experience, their creativity, their traditional knowledge, and everything in between.