“Students need support in much more than just their academics,” says Ajamu Attard, the CEO and National Director of Student Support, a Canadian for-profit social enterprise helping post-secondary students access essential services.
This understanding that students need support in all aspects of their lives and not just in their academics is a notion that Ajamu Attard had hands-on experience with. He was only 16 when he found himself homeless in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and was floating around youth shelters, trying to get out of his difficult situation and break cycles from the past.
“My community helped me out of that situation. They offered me all sorts for support because they recognized my potential. They put clothes on my back, provided me with mental health support, paid for my fitness and extracurriculars and more,” says Attard.
If it wasn’t for the other areas in his life that were taken care of by the staff at his school or the adults in his life, Attard is certain that he wouldn’t have been able to overcome his situation and benefit his community.
Not only did Ajamu Attard rise above his situation, but he also achieved major recognition for helping the people around him and his community. He helped students receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants, and he went on to receive the Lincoln M. Alexander Award at just 19-years-old for his work eliminating racial discrimination in Ontario.
It was this early struggle that prompted Ajamu Attard to create his own organization, Student Support. The organization is dedicated to helping struggling students gain access to essential support services like Calm, Udemy, Aaptiv, Nimbus Learning and ProWritingAid for 98 percent off.
This idea to package services together stemmed from Attard’s own experiences: “Students need support in all other areas of their lives so that they can thrive in an academic environment.” He continues by saying that post-secondary institutions sometimes don’t realize all the specific struggles students experience, and helping students is in everyone’s best interests.
A study of mental health and student retention by The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) found after analyzing data from 200 students, the team discovered students closer to graduating faced increases in anxiety (60.8 percent), feelings of loneliness (54.1 percent), and depression (59.8 percent).
“That’s why it’s so important to make sure that those supports and services are provided all the way through post-secondary education. It allows students to pull through for themselves and their communities and make the difference and the positive impact they’re capable of making,” says Attard.
Ajamu Attard says that the team at Student Support is committed to providing support and services to all students across Canada and that they plan to expand. Their primary goal is to provide a sense of stability and support so students never feel alone. This keeps them pursuing their dreams and their field of study, and allows them to create more kind and caring communities.
“Your world changes and you change the world when you’re not anxious and you know you’re supported.”
