Students recognized with ‘token’ from RESP provider

With $100, Hamilton student Lydia Lister plans to buy a tripod for the camera she uses in her media and communications program or wireless headphones — an added convenience for long Zoom classes.

“I discovered headphones can be very irritating in the online world when you’re trying to do classes,” the first-year GuelphHumber student said. “The extra cheque that I got in the mail actually today ... that’s a really nice incentive.”

Canada’s largest RESP provider is distributing more than $1.5 million to more than 15,000 post-secondary students across Canada — including 103 Hamiltonians — who used their “Flex First” and “Family Single Student” plan for the first time in 2020.

“It’s just a token and gesture of recognition that we’re so impressed by them,” said Carrie Russell, president and CEO of Knowledge First Financial, a not-for-profit foundation. “We hope that in a small way it can make a difference.”

According to a recent survey by the company, 61 per cent of parents said their child’s stress levels have increased since the pandemic began. Remote learning, changes to curriculum and the absence of a postsecondary social life are among the barriers students have encountered.

For many families, financial stress has also increased. In the same study, 34 per cent of parents said COVID-19 has impacted their ability to pay for college or university.

“I’m looking for a job,” 18-yearold Lister said. “That’s been limiting, at times, and frustrating.”

She said she is grateful to live in her family home on the Mountain, and has a supportive high school friend group. But she has struggled to stay motivated, and often feels mentally and physically exhausted.