Members of a group that helps teach robotics and technology to Indigenous students held its inaugural tournament in Calgary on Saturday.
IndigeSTEAM involves students from Tsuu T’ina, Siksika and Kanai First Nations as well as a number of Indigenous youth from Calgary’s urban centre, and uses Lego Mindstorms robot kits to help develop skills.
Deanna Burgart, IndigeSTEAM president, says the goal of the group is to create culturally relevant programming to inspire youth about a future in the field of technology.
“We’re Indigenous-led and we have a number of Indigenous STEM professionals who work as mentors and volunteers and really work on that principle that if kids can’t see it, they won’t see themselves being it.”
Burgart says she is really passionate about incorporating Indigenous culture into her students.
“If they go into science or engineering, they don’t have to turn their back on their culture or on the way that they were raised. In fact, with our programming, with our summer camps and with our robotic powwow today, they are able to bring both pieces together.”
Saturday’s event was developed by the students and all the robots in the event were created with Indigenous culture in mind.
It also included talks from Rob Cardinal, an astrophysicist who is a member of the Siksika First Nation, and Bruce Callow, author of the book To the Stars: Costa Rica in NASA.
You can find out more about IndigeSTEAM online HERE.
