Connected North
and the Digital
Inclusion Grant
Connected North is a leading-edge program
that delivers interactive education services
to schools in remote northern Indigenous
communities through high-definition two-
way "Telepresence" 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 hope
of increasing feelings of empowerment in
school and life.
This includes facilitating experiences with
virtual guest speakers and Indigenous role
models, virtual field trips with galleries,
museums, aquariums and places of
interest along with cultural exchanges and
collaborations between schools across
Canada. The program also offers professional
learning opportunities in response to
educators' interests and works closely
together to co-plan to meet each educator's
curriculum goals and make linkages to
student interests.
In response to Indigenous students' needs
during the pandemic, Connected North
provided Indigenous students without
sufficient digital resources with access to
laptops using funding from the Students
Supports for Learning Program's Digital
Inclusion Grant. To date, the program has
committed to providing 2,000 laptops to
Indigenous students. The goal of the program
is to expand digital learning opportunities
for Indigenous students and improve
educational outcomes for Indigenous youth
such as high school graduation rates and
enrollment in post-secondary education.
Impact of Connected North's Digital Inclusion Grant on IndigenousStudents' Learning, Social Connection and Community Involvement 12
