University of New Brunswick with Ulnooweg Education Centre and the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI)

University of New Brunswick with Ulnooweg Education Centre and the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI)  

This partnership is a unique collaboration between the Mckenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick, the Ulnooweg Education Center, and the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI).  The program has been designed to help address the digital divide that currently exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations by helping program participants gain an understanding of the design-build process, gaining firsthand exposure to architecture and engineering principles, and learning from tradespeople from Indigenous communities. This will allow for youth to become knowledgeable about STEM career pathways and employment in the digital economy.  A big part of this partnership is a mobile makerspace that will bring STEM learning directly into Indigenous communities as a ‘meet them where they are at’ model. 

This partnership includes:

• Building two mobile technology units (makerspace) and bringing STEM-related programming directly to Indigenous youth in their communities.  
• Indigenous youth will be exposed to and gain experience with multiple entry points into STEM careers pathways, as well as pathways to employment in the digital economy.