272,000 hours of STEM time with Indigenous youth

Bridging the gap between culture, traditional knowledge and modern science, helps pave the way for Indigenous youth to explore their future as STEM innovators. For more than a decade, Imperial has supported Actua’s Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) and has helped Actua deliver more than 272,000 face-to-face hours of STEM programming reaching 47,000 Indigenous youth in 245 communities across Canada. But, inside these numbers lie hundreds of success stories from across Canada, some our employees witnessed first-hand.

“Camps like these present a new learning environment that can inspire a life-long interest in sciences and engineering, fostering the next generation of science practitioners,” says Rita Karrel, Imperial’s socioeconomic advisor, following her recent visit to the Fort McMurray InSTEM camp. “Supporting the growth and development of youth is an amazing opportunity to immeasurably give back to the community.”

Students who have been part of these experiences build confidence and see themselves and their culture represented in STEM. “The experience made me motivated to see all the options Indigenous people have,” said one InSTEM camp student.

“Imperial has played a transformative role in advancing Actua’s work by enabling us to scale and advance our deeper impact programs,” says Leslie Cuthbertson, Actua’s chief operating officer. “Together, we are moving the dial on essential skill development and youth readiness for future careers in STEM.”

In addition to the Fort McMurray InSTEM camp, Actua offers camps throughout Imperial’s operating areas to support communities including Cold Lake First Nation, Fort Chipewyan First Nation, Stony Plain First Nation, Walpole Island First Nation and Six Nations.