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Charla Moonias lost her friends, her language and the connection to her culture after she left her northern Ontario First Nation at 14 years old to go to school.

Charla Moonias lost her friends, her language and the connection to her culture after she left her northern Ontario First Nation at 14 years old to go to school hundreds of kilometres away.

There was little support available as she struggled with addictions, tried to cope with the suicides of friends and family and grappled with poor mental health.

She was eventually able to graduate – an achievement she’s incredibly proud of – but her experience left her determined to help other Indigenous youth like her.

Now, at 26, Moonias works at an organization that’s among a number of institutions trying to support Indigenous teenagers through what can be a fraught period far from home.

Such efforts are needed, parents, students and educators say, to allow students from remote First Nations a good chance at a successful high school experience.

“I was just getting into powwows and dancing – I danced in a regalia for the first time when I was 14 – and then I went to high school and then I never did it again,” said Moonias.

“Here now, it’s different.”

Dozens of First Nations across northern Ontario do not have high schools, despite long calls for change. That leaves children and families with an often unbearable decision: leave home at as young as 13 years old to get an education or drop out of school and stay home.