Centre d'Innovation des Premiers Peuples

Published purpose

This 29-month project will support a feminist response to and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 through systemic changes. To achieve this, the First Peoples Innovation Centre intends to survey communities on stereotypes and perceptions linked to jobs in digital technologies in order to identify systemic barriers limiting Indigenous women’s participation in FabLab Onaki. It will also host working meetings with Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners who are experts in the field to help adapt it to Indigenous women’s needs, test the model with a group of participants to confirm the effectiveness of the measures implemented, and share the project results with communities to encourage them to take part in developing digital and technological sectors so Indigenous women can participate fully in the digital economy. By the end of the project, the organization aims to have helped remove systemic barriers by enabling more fair and efficient resource sharing, by enhancing networks for collaboration to expedite systemic changes, and by addressing harmful norms and attitudes that persist on gender. Additionally, the First Peoples Innovation Centre will benefit from the support and expertise of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As the creator of the FabLab model, MIT will participate in developing and adapting the principles of the FabLab Onaki as well as in sharing skills, knowledge, and best practices for establishing FabLabs.