Willa Black is Cisco Canada\u2019s vice president of corporate affairs and a major driver of Connected North since its inception. She remains as committed as ever to supporting a positive future for Indigenous students, while addressing the grave cruelties, inequalities, and racism facing these communities. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to leverage our technology for meaningful community impact and social return,\u201d she said. \u201cIn Canada, we have a terrible history of treatment of Indigenous peoples tracing back to the Indian Act and the Residential School System.\u201d<\/p>\n

These government-sponsored religious institutions ran from 1880 all the way to 1996, when the last such school was closed. Designed to erase First Nation, Inuit, and M\u00e9tis cultures, they were rife with abuses that have resonated across generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren suffered greatly in these schools,\u201d Black explained, \u201cand they came out of that experience with great trauma and enormous dislocation. Family unity was lost because they were taken away from their parents forcibly. And if you travel to the Far North today you see the generational impact. But you also see great resilience and a desire to make sure that students have opportunities to thrive. \u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n

Connected North helps to counter those trends with everything from virtual field trips and Indigenous role models to mental health services and mentoring \u2014 for students and teachers alike. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cConnected North really encourages Inuit students to believe in themselves, to find their passion, and to be at ease with whatever goals they want to achieve,\u201d said Qavangat (Shelby) Angalik, a former Connected North student from Arviat, Nunavut, who went on to study English literature in Montreal. She has since co-authored a children\u2019s book and contributes Indigenous content for both Connected North and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Angalik, whose school was among the earliest to incorporate Connected North, suspects a connection to improving dropout rates. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI do remember students being more excited to come to school when we were having a Connected North session that day,\u201d she recalled. \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen, the dropout rates from when I was in school have definitely declined. And I think Connected North is one of the major aspects that helped with that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n