June 21, 2021
Indigenous People Have Always Known about STEM
Doug Dokis, Director of Actua’s National Indigenous Youth in STEM program share his first hand account of the tremendous growth and impact that Actua’s InSTEM program has had.
National Indigenous Peoples Day 2022
June 21, 2022
By: Doug Dokis and Jennifer Flanagan
Today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, Actua celebrates, acknowledges and reflects on the unique histories, diverse cultures and invaluable contributions of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples across Canada.
Our team is incredibly proud and grateful to have the knowledge and expertise of Indigenous Peoples on our team – both within and beyond the walls of our national office. For over 25 years, we’ve had the privilege of listening and learning from these individuals, as well as Elders, community partners and various Indigenous thought leaders from across the country, as we work together to remove barriers, build more inclusive STEM spaces and improve the education experience for Indigenous youth across Canada.
Thanks to the invaluable strengths, contributions and compassion of Indigenous Peoples, Actua’s Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) program continues to experience significant growth and impact. Over the past few years, we’ve worked with our partners to create even more deep-impact learning experiences for Indigenous youth and educators. We’ve introduced an Indigenous Youth Internship program with our industry partners and created a National Youth Delegation focused on building higher-level skills, knowledge and leadership among Indigenous high school youth. We are also currently planning a series of InSTEM summits that bring together Actua’s existing for-credit youth land-camps with its InSTEM teacher training mico-credential opportunity for a high-impact land-based learning experience. We continue to create these opportunities in response to the growing demand for more training opportunities focused on applying Indigenous land-based STEM knowledge in the classroom.
We want to stress today and always that these programs and initiatives would not be possible without the privilege of building deep, meaningful relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across Canada. And, as we continue to identify and develop new opportunities, we recognize and are motivated by the fact that there is still a long way to go in bringing about systemic change in the education system. We encourage you to read our “In Solidarity: We Are All Treaty People“ statement for an overview of Actua’s commitments concerning this work.
Jennifer Flanagan Doug Dokis
President and CEO Director, National Indigenous Youth in STEM Program