Hackspace NT Aklavik Youth Use a Computer to Learn Coding

Hack The Arctic: Program Gets Aklavik Youth Into Tech

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December 9, 2019

Aklavik might be a few thousand kilometres from Canada’s metropolitan tech hubs but for a week in November, the Hamlet was teeming with tech – and youth eager to give it a shot.

It was all part of HackSpace NT – a Western Arctic Moving Pictures (WAMP) program bringing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEAM) to communities across the Northwest Territories.

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The program – supported by SEED grants from the GNWT’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) – swept a group of 14-19 year-olds into the worlds of coding, circuit-building, 3D printing, and virtual reality.

“The goal is to get these kids working with their hands and inspire their innate curiosity,” explained Mike McLeod – ITI’s Economic Development Officer for the Beaufort Delta. “We hope that it might sow the seeds for future careers.  With the growing focus on the knowledge economy, the timing couldn’t be better.”

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Bridging the technology divide between large and small communities is a big part of the project’s objectives. “When it comes to delivering cutting-edge training to youth in these emerging fields, we’re up against huge distances and challenges”, says Davis Hesleo – the project facilitator for WAMP. “Hackspace NT is our way of helping address that concern while keeping it fun and interesting.”

The workshops were held at the Sittichinli Recreational Complex in Aklavik, where 60+ students and community members attended daytime or evening courses to suit their schedules.

It was the latest in the ITI-sponsored workshop series. WAMP delivers Hackspace NT programming across all regions of the NWT, and the Aklavik workshops were part of an Inuvialuit regional tour.