Conclusion
Expanding digital equity for Indigenous youth is critical to alleviating barriers
to education and improving Indigenous youth's educational achievement.
Educational outcomes are impacted by a lack of home internet connection at
sufficient speed, access to high quality technology devices, and the digital skills
required to meaningfully engage online. Youth from Indigenous communities
require targeted programming to expand digital access and skill-building. The
Digital Inclusion Grant has seen great success with students providing positive
feedback about their experience and sharing how the program has helped
improve their learning significantly.
Although the grant is a significant step in the right direction, more work needs
to be done to expand its positive impacts given the breadth of digital gaps still
faced by many Indigenous students. Connected North has an opportunity to
play a leadership role in addressing these challenges directly coming out of
the pandemic, by leveraging additional funding to create and expand programs
that address Indigenous students' unique digital needs and implement ongoing
program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement and measure the long-
term impact of expanding youth's digital capacity, including its effects on
students' educational achievement and Indigenous youth's workforce readiness.
In the absence of a formally coordinated school-based approach to closing gaps
in digital needs for Indigenous students, Connected North is filling a critical gap.
Impact of Connected North's Digital Inclusion Grant on IndigenousStudents' Learning, Social Connection and Community Involvement 32
