Centennial Innovates, the Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ARIES) department at Centennial College, held their second Inclusive Excellence Breakfast Series event titled "Empowering and Engaging Indigenous People in Tech" on Wednesday, January 17th. The morning featured insightful learning from Rhode Thomas, Executive Director and Director of Operations and Finance at the Centre for Indigenous Innovation and Technology (CIIT), and Julie Wildgoose, Director of Programs and Student Success at Indspire. Over 50 faculty researchers, staff, students, community members and entrepreneurs gathered to deepen their knowledge of Indigenous innovation and engagement. Attendees also enjoyed a hot breakfast buffet of Indigenous-inspired cuisine, from bannock to sumac smoked salmon and cedar honey tea.
Jonathan Hack, Dean, Centennial Innovates, started the morning with a Land Acknowledgement and opened the event, reinforcing ARIES’ departmental commitment to champion discussion on empowering Indigenous perspectives and students in the college’s applied research, innovation and entrepreneurship activities.
Rhode Thomas brought everyone to a foundational knowledge of Indigenous People in Canada with an Indigenous People 101 presentation introducing the three groups of Indigenous people in Canada – First Nation, Métis and Inuit - before focusing on specific ways to engage Indigenous people in tech. He shared historical and contemporary examples of Indigenous innovations, as well as the challenges and opportunities to empower Indigenous people in the digital landscape, namely digital skills, infrastructure, knowledge, and governance. He highlighted the significant digital divide between urban and rural communities, especially Indigenous ones. For example, according to a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission report in 2019, the percentage of First Nations households on reserve with access to high-speed internet is 16.1% in Ontario and just 1.7% in Saskatchewan.
Julie Wildgoose then captivated our attendees with the research and impact at Indspire. She shared their "Journeys to Success: Empowering Indigenous Visions of Success Through Photovoice" research project and how they established the themes of what success looks like for Indigenous youth through photovoice, storytelling and community engagement. She shared about Indspire’s Rivers to Success program connecting Indigenous students with mentors as well as their Building Brighter Futures bursaries and scholarships program that has provided over $217 million in financial support to more than 66,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis students – including 3 current students at Centennial College.
Centennial Innovates looks forward to strengthening our relationships with CIIT and Indspire through our applied research projects and future events like this. Our next Centennial Innovates: Inclusive Excellence Breakfast Series is on Wednesday March 6th, 2024 - save the date!