Participants Indigenous Peoples, Youth

STEM skills and an innovation mindset for youth

As part of MindFuel’s Canada Tech Futures – Youth Innovation Gateway initiative, which aims to develop skills and an innovation mindset among Canada’s high-school and post-secondary youth, this project strives to reduce barriers to education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and increase resiliency and adaptability for Indigenous youth in rural areas of Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon.

Future Skills Centre is investing $756,000 in this 2-year project. With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, MindFuel’s team will work to identify ways to support Indigenous youth, often underrepresented and under-supported in STEM education and jobs of today. With project-based learning, mentorship, STEM skills development and knowledge acquisition – while bridging Indigenous traditional knowledge with Western schools of thought – the project creates a path to further education and increased future employment opportunities.

Highschool students holding up sign with science symbols.

In collaboration with Indigenous partners, organizers will aim to learn about and understand their communities’ context and complexities, and ensure that Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing are woven into the student learning experience. By building on the best from Indigenous tradition and STEM innovation, the project supports Indigenous youth to build resilience and skills and ultimately realize their full potential as contributors to their community prosperity.

Evaluation Strategy

This project is evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation focuses on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.