TORONTO, Oct. 4, 2021 /CNW/ - Scotiabank today announced a
commitment of $750,000 to Connected
North, a program that delivers immersive and interactive learning
services to more than 100 schools located in remote locations,
including Indigenous communities, across the country.
By acknowledging the importance of representation, Connected
North works alongside Indigenous role models, staff and communities
to deliver authentic, customized content to students in remote
northern schools.
Connected North, operated by the charity TakingITGlobal,
connects students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12 to a
wide variety of virtual, live, and interactive learning
experiences like virtual museum tours, cool science
experiments, author talks, language revitalization programming,
dance classes and so much more. Many sessions focus on
connecting students with Indigenous role models to share, engage
and inspire through First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture,
teachings and traditions.
Scotiabank's gift supports the development of Connected North's
digital platform to enable program growth and sustainability,
helping community partners and educators easily access customized
learning opportunities aligned to curriculum needs and student
interests. The donation will also fund digital inclusion grants for
Connected North students who are graduating high school and require
a personal device such as a laptop to continue their education or
training.
"Scotiabank's support is helping to shape the growth of the
Connected North program," says Michael
Furdyk, Co-Founder and Director of Technology,
TakingITGlobal. "The digital platform provides ease of access to
bring unique content providers, including over 90 Indigenous role
models, into the classroom in an interactive and engaging way."
"Connected North is a program that makes use of technology to
bring Indigenous perspectives and knowledge directly to students,
enriching the curriculum with cultural content that is reflective
of local communities" says Andre
Morriseau, TakingITGlobal Board Member.
Scotiabank's commitment to Connected North is a signature piece
of ScotiaRISE, the Bank's 10-year $500
million initiative that aims to promote economic resilience
among disadvantaged groups. Through ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank partners
with programs and organizations across its footprint that provide
the tools people need to improve their education and employment
prospects, adapt to changing circumstances, and increase the
likelihood of financial success.
"Access to new learning opportunities in rural and remote
communities is a challenge without the right technology tools in
place" says Michael Zerbs Group Head, Technology & Operations
at Scotiabank. "By partnering with Connected North, we are helping
to provide access to IT services required to create more dynamic
learning experiences."
For more information on ScotiaRISE and Scotiabank's initiatives
concerning diversity and inclusion, visit:
https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/our-company/diversity-and-inclusion.html
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our
purpose: "for every future" we help our customers, their families
and their communities achieve success through a broad range of
advice, products and services, including personal and commercial
banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and
investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of over 90,000
employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as
at July 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For
more information, please
visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
About TakingITGlobal
TakingITGlobal (TIG) designs and delivers youth engagement programs
leveraging the power of community, technology and creativity.
Connected North is an interactive education program managed by
TakingITGlobal that connects students living in remote Northern
communities to customized virtual experiences and learning
opportunities through live, high definition video
technology.
Learn more: https://www.tigweb.org/about and
https://www.connectednorth.org/
SOURCE Scotiabank