TORONTO and BLACK LAKE, SK – Cisco Canada has extended its Connected North initiative into Black Lake, making Father Porte Memorial Dene School the first in the province to join the program.
Connected North delivers immersive and interactive virtual education and mental healthcare services to remote Indigenous communities through Cisco’s high-definition two-way video communication and collaboration technology. The aim of the program is to offer a fresh approach to student engagement, allowing teachers and administrators to expose their students to people, experiences and ideas that bring learning to life.
Thursday’s launch event featured a live, virtual visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, AB followed by an interactive literacy exploration between the Father Porte Memorial Dene School and West Point Grey Academy in Vancouver.
Cisco provided the video collaboration technology and overall ecosystem management while SaskTel donated the Internet connection and service required to power the video connection. TakingITGlobal has taken on the role of education program manager for the program, while Cameco, AREVA Resources, and Athabasca Basin Development donated the funding to cover the programming costs, and West Wind Aviation supports the air travel required for the installation of technology. This provincial partnership joins a network of Connected North supporters from across Canada, including: SSi Micro, the Royal Bank Foundation, TD Bank Financial Group, Scotiabank, Tech Data, Ingram Micro, The Learning Partnership, Canadian North, The Samuel Family Foundation, and The Hospital for Sick Children, among others.
“The launch of Connected North in Saskatchewan marks the continued growth of a program that is having a positive impact on remote Indigenous communities,” said Cisco Canada president Bernadette Wightman, in the news release. “We are proud to have founded the program, and are excited to continue to contribute our expertise in collaboration technology to this phenomenal ecosystem of partners to drive the delivery of needed education and healthcare resources.”
The program began in Iqaluit in September 2013 with a single school and has since grown to include 15 schools, including the Father Porte Memorial Dene School in Black Lake.
