On Indigenous Solidarity Day, June 21, 2021, I had the opportunity to appear on the Global News Radio program Let’s Talk London with Jess Brady to discuss the launch of a program that I helped bring to life, “Nanda” at Nokee Kwe. Learn more about this program and listen to the interview here.
About the Nanda Program:
The program, called Nanda at Nokee Kwe, means “seek; look for” in Anishnaabemowin. Nanda was created in partnership with global, Calgary-based educational technology company RoboGarden Inc, who has developed a digital skills training program with a focus on Indigenous women in the London area.
This program works to address the larger systemic issue of coded bias in technology. By training and introducing Indigenous women into nontraditional careers, Nokee Kwe helps to support diversity in the tech industry and beyond. No experience is required to participate in this program.
The Nanda program will teach coding skills from a beginner to a professional level, using gamification to create an interactive and fun learning environment. The Nokee Kwe and RoboGarden Inc. teams will provide participants with online support as they learn the fundamentals of programming at their own pace. Nokee Kwe will also be working with graduates of the program to secure placements and/or employment opportunities post-graduation.
Participants of the program will learn to develop mobile and web applications from start to finish (concept, design, development, and launch). They will learn how to identify usability requirements across Android, iOS, and web-based platforms, and discover technologies and design principles.
From Let's Talk London with Jess Brady:
“Nokee Kwe, an Indigenous-led employment and education centre, is expanding its programming by embarking on a new partnership to establish the Nanda initiative. Nanda, which means “seek; look for” in Anishnaabemowin, is a program created with RoboGarden Inc. which will provide Indigenous women and girls with digital training.
Vice-Chair of Nokee Kwe's Board of Directors Katie Wilhelm joins Jess Brady to speak about how this training and opportunities support diversity in the tech industry and beyond.”
Listen to the full interview here.
About Global News
Global News is the news and current affairs division of the Canadian Global Television Network. The network is owned by Corus Entertainment, which oversees all of the network's national news programming as well as local news on its 21 owned-and-operated stations.