This is a special episode of the CEO BBQ.

Over the last few months, I’ve been asking mining executives what the main challenge is for them. Local opposition and skilled labor shortages are among the first things they bring up.

The number of students graduating with relevant degrees is in decline. This is partly due to the cyclicality of the mining sector, the preference for office jobs - not field jobs - and the fact that mining has a bad reputation.

When talking about local opposition, CEOs bring up how challenging the engagement processes with the First Nations in Canada is, as well as some of the recent issues they've had with the indigenous communities on whose lands mining & exploration companies operate.

Firstly, I started looking at those issues as two separate risks, but quickly enough, I found out that Indigenous students, despite being very close to where most of the action happens in the mining & exploration space are generally underrepresented in university-level jobs like engineers and geologists. This is partly because they face lower educational levels, higher dropout rates, and limited access to quality education. They don't always have control over the factors that make this a reality. Geographical proximity to schools - often underfunded schools - inadequate resource distribution within those communities, and cultural disconnects between mainstream education systems and Indigenous ways of learning make it harder for First Nations students to get the proper education they might want.

Over time, this has resulted in the belief that it’s "us" versus "them". It doesn’t have to be that way. Helping more Indigenous students get a higher education and better employment can set an example for the next generation after them, ultimately benefitting the entire sector.

Therefore, I got in touch with the Young Mining Professionals - a non-profit organization specializing in giving scholarships & grants to students - and they told me they could come up with a First Nations scholarship - a scholarship specifically designed for Indigenous students, who might want to pursue higher education in the mining space but don’t have the financial capability to do so.

That's why I got in touch with multiple exploration & development companies operating in Canada, and five of them agreed to donate money to the YMP Scholarship Fund. We raised $12,500.00, all of which goes directly to the scholarship fund and then to students.

Timestamps
00:00 what is this?
05:10 where will the money go?
17:22 Storm Exploration CEO Interview (TSX-V: STRM)
46:02 Stuhini Exploration CEO Interview (TSX-V: STU)
01:08:10 Fireweed Metals CEO Interview (TSX-V: FWZ)
01:58:04 Snowline Gold CEO Interview (TSX-V: SGD)
02:44:36 Fission Uranium CEO Interview (TSX-V: FCU)

The information provided herein is general & impersonal in nature and meant for entertainment purposes only. The viewer acknowledges & agrees that the information does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy.

Antonio Atanasov is not a licensed investment advisor. He is just another talking head on the internet. He might own shares of companies mentioned in this publication. That doesn't mean you should. Actually, you probably shouldn't, as his portfolio is still performing negatively. Always assume he doesn't know much more than a potato does.
He doesn’t get paid to pick the best companies, he gets paid to interview CEOs.

The mining & exploration space is highly likely to lose you money. Failure is the norm here. The vast majority of companies will go to zero, as this is an almost impossible business that is largely uninvestable. The minimum risk on anything mentioned in this publication is 100% loss of capital. If you don't read the official documents provided by the company on www.SedarPlus.ca, you will lose all of your money.