A unique initiative last week had people from a number of First Nations from across Manitoba participating in technology training at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) program in Morden.
There were participants from Pukatawagan, Sandy Bay, Flin Flon, Kiciwapa, and Leaf Rapids in town for an experience that was a journey of healing as well as learning technology.
“It opens up a lot of hope; it opens up a lot of resilience. This is a really good stepping stone,” suggested Brown Eagle Belanger, who had a leading role in the program that included four days of digital workshops.
The initiative started on day one with an opening circle, grounding, meeting youth from the five First Nations, and stepping into AI for the first time. Day two delved into such things as AI and creative tools as well as healing discussions. Day three brought more learning, culture, and healing.
By the end, participants were building and creating websites and Facebook pages and even online business portals to not only benefit themselves but their communities as well.
One of the leaders, Jas Singh, said they wanted to help the participants empower themselves.
“This three-day course allows them to feel more in control of their lives by financially being able to be free at the end,” he said.
This level of training and support is often not very accessible in remote communities, Singh said, noting he recognizes the value of this kind of outreach initiative through his own experience as an immigrant to Canada.
“The community was so nice to me … it’s imperative for us to give back.”
The initiative revealed a number of inspiring experiences, such as the 75-year-old man who began with simply learning how to operate a computer but then had a website built by the end of the day.
There was the creation of a Facebook page about healing practices, while another person built an online virtual sweat lodge.
It was not only about how to build these kinds of experiences but then also to monetize them, Belanger noted.
“These financial skills need time to be built,” he said.
He saw the initiative as not only dealing with teaching such things as emerging technologies but also perhaps providing a means to help students meet the needs of their communities.
“We want them to have an entrepreneur mindset rather than a user perspective,” he said, suggesting how it can have a ripple effect in providing some leadership in important areas.
“Rather than social media becoming a distraction, it builds communities; it builds entrepreneurs,” said Belanger. “Education is really important … there’s a lot of knowledge gaps.
Belanger hoped to at least “give them the exposure … be able to get their feet wet with this type of technology … now they can use their skills at home. They can see problems and gaps.”
Koby Caribou, a participant from Pukatawagan, enjoyed working on developing a website for his community that will have such features as schedules and an events calendar.
“It was a fun experience,” he said. “This is my first time actually being anywhere other than Winnipeg.
“I’ve been learning a lot … this is the first time I’ve coded,” he said. “I feel proud of myself now … I’ve made something, a cool app for my community.”
