Category: Digital Inclusion

In this Skills for Change February 2023 Spotlight Series discussion, panelists explore the rise of the Digital Economy and the movement for Digital Equity.

How are technology and data are being used to enable innovative immigration systems? To ensure that Alberta continues to grow as an economic engine in Western Canada through COVID-19, the development of innovative immigration systems is critically important. This 2020 Civic Tech Calgary session provides an overview of Immigrant Services Calgary's new system for streamlining services for newcomers among multiple service providers in Alberta called Gateway Canada.

A lot of energy is being poured into diversity and inclusion efforts across the Canadian tech ecosystem. While this is commendable, newcomers generally still encounter barriers preventing them from integrating seamlessly into tech careers, startups and funding opportunities. What would it look like if we could build communities that not only welcome people from diverse backgrounds but also intentionally invite them?

I was asked to contribute to a Future of Good article evaluating the recent federal budget. My high-level evaluation in is the article, but I thought about it a lot when I replied. I'm posting my entire response here.

As part of the two-year, national research project funded by the WES Mariam Assefa Fund entitled “Envisioning the Future of the Immigrant-Serving Sector,” ACS-Metropolis Institute, the Mhor Collective Scotland, and GEO Nova Scotia partnered together to pilot and tailor the delivery of the Digital Champions program for the Canadian settlement sector, a holistic “train the trainer” approach to delivering peer to peer support for newcomers to advance digital literacy.

Digital transformation is more than the tech or software used to deliver services: it’s approaching current models for service delivery in ways enabled by technology. This makes digital transformation a human process as well as a technical one, requiring human support to implement. A settlement sector organization in Nova Scotia, ISANS, is addressing the human element of digital transformation in their support of staff and clients.

If you don't already watch Last Week Tonight to get explainer videos about high profile news stories with a comedic twist, I'm here for you. Below is a recent video he did providing a fantastic introduction and explanation of AI. Like his other videos, he makes a complex topic accessible, understandable, covers all sides of it, and makes you laugh.

This presentation by Dr. Turin Chowdhury focuses on addressing Digital Equity in Calgary. His presentation provides you with a solid foundation on digital inclusion, such as key barriers to inclusion, dynamics impacting inclusion, how digital inequity impacts different groups in society, and a roadmap for action towards digital equity/inclusion. His presentation is followed by Rob Wiles, Issues Strategist, Calgary Neighbourhoods, from the City of Calgary.

Research which took place in Saskatoon during COVID-19 school closures, found that immigrant parents in particular were affected in four ways: parent-teacher communication was hindered; children’s second language acquisition was delayed; schooling was neglected in favour of supporting well-being; and, parents relied on their own communities.