Artic Bay
Inuujaq School
Connected North delivers interactive education and mental health and wellness services through Cisco Webex in remote Indigenous communities.
Connected North’s first kindred connection was with one Iqaluit school in 2013. After expanding to 8 more schools, we migrated program leadership and daily operations to the registered charity TakingITGlobal in 2016. Since then, it has flourished into a leading edge program that now serves 109 Indigenous partner schools across Canada.
Learning from anywhere is possible with Cisco Webex. Connected North@Home serves students who are affected by COVID-19 school closures. Free, on-demand learning experiences for students to connect with museums, zoos, artists, storytellers and other amazing organizations are just a click away.
Connecting students with experts, virtual field trips and educational institutions
Bridging students with First Nations, Metis, Inuit and non -Indigenous role models to inspire future pathways
Delivering preventative mental health and wellness programming
Driving professional learning, development, co-teaching and mentorship for educators
Indigenous youth in Canada graduate high school at approximately half the rate of their non -Indigenous peers (First Nations at 57%, and Inuit at 40%) due to the harmful legacy of the residential school system, according to Statistics Canada. Connected North bridges these Northern communities with possibilities.
21,000
We serve over 21,000 students
109
We’re in 109 schools
2300+
To date, more than 2300+ sessions have been completed
79%
79% of students said Connected North sessions made science more enjoyable *York University
95%
95% of educators surveyed reported that Connected North was beneficial for their students *Guelph University
81%
81% of students thought they learned more in a Connected North TelePresence science class compared to a non-Telepresence science class *York University
Indigenous Program Coordinator for the Connected North (CN) program at TakingITGlobal
Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Cisco Canada
Culinary Arts professor at George Brown College, Indigenous cuisine chef, and author
Mentor in the Cape Dorset community for students using video sessions with Connected North
Virtual Systems Engineer (VSE) at Cisco
“I now imagine all the possibilities for our students to share their local Ojibwe language and culture; to learn with the world, instead of just learning about it; and to create students that are aware of, and comfortable with, interaction with peers across the province, the country, and the world.”
Barbe Dennis, Principal, Mine Centre School
A $200 donation funds one 45-minute live session with an expert guest speaker or Indigenous Role model for classrooms in Northern communities.
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