{"id":49952,"date":"2018-09-19T15:59:53","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T19:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=49952"},"modified":"2025-10-01T15:50:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:50:11","slug":"boosting-digital-literacy","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/boosting-digital-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Boosting Digital Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Boosting Digital Literacy\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Not all youth in Ottawa have the same access to technology, but an exciting collaborative venture between three city institutions has set out to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the summer of 2017, Christine Riddell, director of Carleton’s Virtual Ventures<\/a> summer camps and programs, met with Brittney Oberfeld, outreach producer at Shopify<\/a>, to develop a pilot project aimed at creating digital literacy programs for youth members of the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa<\/a> (BGCO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the year, a set of skill -building workshops, aptly named Link<ed>, were ready to be delivered to the first group of BGCO members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Link<ed> is part of Shopify’s broader Dev Discover program, says Oberfeld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Created to bridge the gap between youth and technology exploration, Dev Discover focuses on actionable steps that bring youth from their first experience in technology to the possibility of pursuing post-secondary education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), to an impactful career in technology,” she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Creating Pathways to Digital Literacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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For participating BGCO members, aged 6 to 14, Link<ed> introduces the concepts of computational thinking and digital skills development. The program includes an introduction to coding, game development, 3D modelling, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Adam Joiner, director of programs with BCGO, most members don’t have access to functioning computers, electronics, or the Internet unless they are in the clubs or at school. Fully funded by Shopify, Link<ed> sessions are hosted weekly at BGCO locations, with programming delivered by experienced Virtual Ventures staff and motivational mentors from Shopify. A culminating visit to Shopify headquarters in the final week gives members a taste of what digital literacy initiatives can mean for their future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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