TakingITGlobal

C O N N E C T E D N O R T H : A J O U R N E Y O F T R A N S F O R M AT I O N & W E L L- B E I N G 5 Approach The program descriptions are drawn from a variety of source materials such as the Connected North website, menu and internal reports prepared by the TakingITGlobal team. In my role as a consultant to TakingITGlobal with an evaluation and planning lens, I have been asked to help expand upon the research and literature review that has helped guide the program to date in ways that contribute to future planning and growth. The program journey begins with an understanding of what Connected North is and how it is structured to support learning and transformation through a curriculum and related programming delivered through a blended model supported by information technology. It continues with a look at how Well-Being has been understood and what it means within the context of Connected North. The paper concludes with recommendations for how we can understand the role Connected North plays in supporting Well-Being and what is required to scale the program beyond its current configuration. The Connected North program delivers interactive education services to schools in remote northern communities through high-definition two-way video communication and collaboration technology. The goal of Connected North is to provide participating schools with access to content that is engaging and innovative, with the aim to foster an empowered student body that is hopeful about the future and confident in their ability to be successful in their life. Curriculum content is designed to offer students in the North exposure to people and contexts from across Canada and the world. At the core of Connected North is an agenda aimed at fostering Well-Being in the students, teachers, schools and communities in its programs in its many forms, pathways, and roles. Connected North features interactive classroom sessions with virtual guest speakers and Indigenous role models, virtual field trips with engaging places of interest along with cultural exchanges and collaborations between schools across Canada. The selection of session content is guided by the needs of teachers and students and fit for classroom and aer-school learning environments. The program also provides leadership development opportunities for teachers and students alike. Connected North was developed to support the educational outreach needs of teachers and students in Canada's northern communities. Connected North operates in a social context that is healing from the cumulative effects of Residential Schools, genocide, forced relocation, climate change, and the social, economic, and spiritual disruption that has resulted from these forces. Northern communities face enormous challenges in dealing with these effects and have shown considerable resilience and perseverance in meeting them. Reconciliation involves reconnecting to the land, traditional knowledge, and establishing opportunities for young people to learn, grow, and contribute to their communities. Connected North is supporting this healing journey and operates humbly and respectfully within this context. Imagery and representation play an important part in shaping and maintaining the deep cultural narrative of Indigenous communities and is essential to their storytelling and knowledge sharing traditions.

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