Overview
What if you could be part of a movement that reshapes education and uplifts communities through innovation? Since 2014, we’ve pioneered a transformative project that takes students to remote northern communities, allowing them to engage with First Nations through culture sharing and experiential learning, and to make meaningful contributions. Our partner communities in this endeavour are in Mayo, Yukon, and Masset, Haida Gwaii. The projects focus on social entrepreneurship, community engagement, sustainability, and education.
Our interdisciplinary course offered through the Sprott School of Business has been building community connections for the past 10 years. This year’s project efforts include expanding a skateboard-making business established by a previous Carleton group, setting up a youth-run radio station, 3D cultural artifact scanning, oral history recording, and a language pedagogy program integrating both holograms and AI. We’re not just talking about change. We’re making it happen, together.
The Background
Our cause is driven by a deep commitment to fostering positive, lasting & innovative impact within the First Nation communities of Mayo, Yukon, and Massett, Haida Gwaii. We collaborate with community leaders and school youth in projects empowering local social entrepreneurship, enhancing student engagement, promoting sustainability, and supporting education.
Together with community leaders and youth in Mayo and Masset we work together to develop creative solutions in the areas of youth engagement and entrepreneurship, as well as cultural preservation. This partnership is about co-creation, two-way dialogue, and geographically distributed teams working together to design and develop projects that address these issues head-on. It’s about strengthening cross-cultural relationships and enabling the development of culturally appropriate ventures that boost engagement and community pride. Our project addresses a variety of identified needs within the communities in Northern Canada; it targets the importance of cultural education and enhancing opportunities available within the our partner communities.
The Rollout
Your donation supports our students to connect and work together with their project partners in Mayo, Yukon, and Masset, British Columbia. Carleton students will work hands-on with local youth, meeting virtually throughout their year and travelling to test and develop products and services in the communities they will be implemented. Your support will make this highly experiential learning possible and support for skills development, knowledge sharing, and cultural exchange.
The Impact
PERSONAL IMPACT: This project provides students with opportunities to take leadership roles, make decisions, and see tangible outcomes. Students feel empowered by their ability to make a difference in their partner communities, and knowing that they contribute to a cause larger than themselves provides a strong sense of purpose. By making positive effects on the community, we are inspired to pursue careers or further projects rooted in social impact.
ACADEMIC IMPACT: These projects vary in form and scope but at their core, they all serve to engage youth in our partner communities, creating a positive relationship to learning through helping students bring their ideas to fruition. This project creates an opportunity for the Carleton students and youth in our partner communities alike to learn with and from each other. Creating avenues for business students to apply their entrepreneurial, marketing, finance, and leadership skills to help make these projects a reality.
In the words of a former student participant;
“I feel like this course is so important because it gives you the experience. You are out there doing the work you learned about, so every lecture we have had regarding the course has been implemented when we went to Mayo.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT: By collaborating with Sprott School of Business students, local youth in our partner communities are gaining hands-on experience in creative and entrepreneurial endeavors, including a radio station, seaweed fertilizer farm and a skateboard deck design business. More than that, this initiative strengthens the connection between Carleton students and our partner community, fostering long-term relationships. Our projects build those relationships between Carleton, First Nation communities, and local entrepreneurs. More than just projects, this initiative is a movement towards collective benefit, sustainable planning, and a brighter future for all involved