• Français
Future Skills Center logo
Français
Polygon Created with Sketch. Home | Research
Research

Learning Together: STEM Outreach Programs for Indigenous Students

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach programs seek to engage people in interactive, real-world experiences. Facilitators of these programs are often post-secondary students studying STEM, STEM researchers or professionals, or science communicators.

In Learning Together: STEM Outreach Programs for Indigenous Students, we were interested in free STEM programs, not run by the formal education system, that target Indigenous children in Kindergarten to Grade 12. We surveyed these programs across Canada to learn more about how they reach Indigenous youth.

Key Takeaways

1

Outreach programs do increase participants’ interest in STEM. It is not yet clear whether these programs have a long-term impact on education and career choices.

2

Organizations reported understanding how critical it is to build respectful relationships from the start. Many are working with potential hosts—and some with the youth themselves—to develop their programs

3

Outreach programs are trying to improve Indigenous education and representation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. These programs are interested in exposing children and youth to STEM role models and career options in STEM fields.

Executive Summary

In response to a national conversation about reconciliation, governments, the formal education system, and non-profit organizations are addressing educational gaps and improving the representation of Indigenous peoples in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with extra attention and resources. This awareness, combined with an increasing focus on equity issues in STEM, has increased efforts to bring STEM outreach to Indigenous students.

STEM outreach programs require intensive partnerships. These relationships rely on ongoing and respectful communication, trust, and consensus-building. The time, resources, and intercultural capacities required on both sides of this partnership should not be underestimated.

For the purposes of this research, we were interested in free STEM programs, not run by the formal education system, that target Indigenous children in Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K–12). We surveyed these programs across Canada to learn more about how they reach Indigenous youth. We included responses from 50 organizations offering 103 programs that met the criteria for inclusion in our analysis. Many other programs also reach Indigenous youth, as a part of general programs for all children in Canada, as well as many initiatives run by the K–12 education system. Staff from outreach organizations, Indigenous and non-Indigenous schools, and post-secondary institutions were interviewed.

Our survey asked why organizations were doing STEM outreach to Indigenous youth. The responses below are grouped by theme and listed in order of the frequency of responses, beginning with the most common response.

Related Content

Hand and knee pain or mental health care concept with geriatric doctor consulting examining elderly senior aged adult in medical exam clinic or hospital.
Research

Training to Retain: Strengthening the Role of Indigenous Community Health Workers

  • May 2026
  • Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)
Despite their critical role, Indigenous community health workers are often insufficiently supported, and there are not enough community health workers in Indigenous communities in Canada to meet healthcare needs. This research responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action by examining how Indigenous community health workers can be better supported, retained, and equipped to serve their communities.
1 Related Reports
Machine learning artificial intelligence
Research

Machine Learning and the Labour Market: A Portrait of Occupational and Worker Inequities in Canada

  • May 2026
  • Institute for Work & Health
Machine learning (ML), a rapidly advancing subfield of artificial intelligence, is increasingly reshaping work across Canada’s labour market. ML automates and augments a broad range of job tasks, including non-routine cognitive functions such as learning, prediction, and problem-solving.
2 Related Reports
A diverse team collaborating in a bright modern office, with a woman in a pink blazer reviewing a clipboard with a seated colleague.
Research

From Jobs to Journeys: Rethinking How Canada Forecasts Skills Supplyexternal link icon

  • May 2026
  • Signal49 Research (formerly The Conference Board of Canada)
Canadian organizations are navigating rapid labour and technology transitions— automation, demographic aging, digitalization, and shifting educational pathways. Yet our core tools for forecasting skills supply are outdated.
View all Research