FPIC has adapted the FabLab model developed by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to offer a culturally appropriate response to young Indigenous people so that they can take charge of their own professional future. Indigenous FabLabs recreate social ties where generations and genders mix as well as professions and trades. Integrating the great traditional values of the First Peoples, Indigenous FabLabs place practice and the experimental approach at the heart of learning where practical intelligence is valued. To learn more, click here.
Indigenous FabLabs
Onaki Circle
Onaki Circles are nomadic centers that offer young Indigenous people from high shool in Gatineau/Ottawa region cultural anchoring in
urban high schools. These Circles offer stimulating, rewarding activities
and culturally appropriate for Indigenous students. The intervention strategy
consists in creating a solid cultural anchoring within the school, particularly for
young people at risk of dropping out, to reconnect them to their culture and guide them
towards a better future.
Art Onaki
The Art Onaki project aims to introduce Indigenous artists and craftsmen to digital manufacturing technology and ceremonial dress making and to give them the opportunity to explore these new manufacturing methods in their own way. This will allow them to modernize the modes and methods of artisanal production they use, without disembodying traditional know-how. The Art Onaki project aims to provide these creators with tools and methods that can enable them to live and produce more efficiently, but above all, it aims to promote Indigenous art.
Indigenous cooking activities
The indigenous cooking activity program was designed by elders for elders. Their total involvement in the process is an important asset to their social inclusion, all through the promotion of indigenous culinary traditions, which are partly unknown. In addition, their knowledge turns out to be very interesting in the context of healthy eating. Follow us on our Facebook page to find out about upcoming activities.
National Indigenous Peoples Day
To mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, the FPIC organizes a big celebration on June 21 each year. This celebration offers an exceptional opportunity for the First Peoples of Gatineau to present a renewed image of who they really are. It is also an opportunity for Gatineau residents to make direct contact with Indigenous peoples. This celebration breaks down the myths that exist on both sides and thus promotes closer ties between non-Natives and Natives of Gatineau. The concept of this day is to promote the richness of Indigenous cultures through contemporary and traditional portraiture.
Intergenerational diversity
Intergenerational diversity projects strive to create a framework for recreational and supportive encounters between young Indigenous and their elders. We are counting on the mobilization and total involvement of young Indigenous and non-Indigenous volunteers in this social project which aims to protect the health of the most vulnerable.
Indigenous women and digital skills
The FPIC plans to survey communities on stereotypes and perceptions associated with jobs in the digital technology sector in order to identify systemic barriers limiting Indigenous women’s participation in the Indigenous FabLab. After this process, the FPIC, accompanied by experts, will adapt the concept of Indigenous FabLabs to the needs of Indigenous women to test the new concept.