THE PROJECT
The Northern Village of Île-à-la-Crosse is a historic Métis community in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan. To empower children and youth in the community to use digital tools for citizen science and social innovation by giving them the digital literacy skills they need, Northern Village of Île-à-la-Crosse received a CIRA grant to develop Indigitize, a culturally responsive digital literacy framework and curriculum that was piloted with the Île-à-la-Crosse School Division for grades 9-12.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
One of the most important activities of the program was consultation with the Citizen Scientist Advisory Council, which included youth and key decision-makers of Île-à-la-Crosse, leading to the amplification of Indigenous youth citizen scientist voices. The program reached over 400 children, who can now share their new skills with their peers, parents, and caregivers to ensure the sustainability of the program. The need for enhanced digital literacy is not only critical in this digital age, but especially important for the citizens of Île-à-la-Crosse to secure their data sovereignty and to build confidence and capacity in youth to use digital technologies for social innovation.
RELATED LINKS
- Northern Village of Île-à-la-Crosse’s Facebook page
PHOTOS
The Advisory Council. Photos courtesy of Northern Village of Île-à-la-Crosse.
