In an exciting new initiative, the grassroots Niriqatiginnga Youth, Arts, and Media Team started a new digital literacy project this spring. The Winnipeg, Manitoba-based group, known for its innovative approaches in empowering Indigenous youth through arts and media, aims to see a significant impact with this latest capacity building program.
With a focus on nurturing creativity and providing a platform for expression, “Growing from the Ground Up in Manitoba” promises to engage youth from a diversity of backgrounds. Through workshops, roundtable discussions, events, and collaborative organizational capacity building activities, participants will have the opportunity to explore various forms of artistic expression while amplifying their voices on relevant issues like food insecurity, climate change adaptation and cultural entrepreneurship.
This year’s programming will leverage and build on the resources of the group’s artsincubator.ca pilot program, a dynamic online hub for Manitoba’s arts and culture sector. The original arts incubator model, being applied with this year’s program, was seeded with strategic innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse in 2021 and 2022 and the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 program in 2023.
With numerous updates and a bustling community, youth media activities on these platforms offer a creative environment for youth to engage with real-world arts marketing strategies and media career pathways. Immersing themselves in storytelling, both traditional and technological, will facilitate exploring early-career food and culture sector career pathways.
The grassroots program is led with support from a number of urban and northern community partners and funders such as the Arctic Buying Company Kivalliq, the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce, Manitoba Agriculture, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Amautiit Nunavut Inuit Women’s Association as well as Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada. The Youth, Arts and Media team are funded with support from the OpenAI Researcher Access Program, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Skills Program.
Stay tuned for updates as the Niriqatiginnga Youth, Arts, and Media Team continues to inspire and empower the next generation of board members, staff and volunteers through innovative, co-created projects and initiatives. To find out how you can support this new and exciting youth-driven program, please contact us.
