Meet The First Nations Technology Council

The First Nations Technology Council (FNTC) has long been one of the UX Awards’ most important and valued partners. This year, in partnership with BrainStation, we’re excited to be awarding two FNTC students with a meaningful scholarship, focused on building their industry connections and experience through mentorship, community, and networking opportunities.

We spoke with Jasmin Winter, A/Director, Student Services and Partnerships at FNTC, to learn a little bit more about what this year has looked like for the organization, and what she’s looking forward to.

Jasmin, can you tell us more about the First Nations Technology Council?

The First Nations Technology Council is an Indigenous-led not-for-profit working to ensure that Indigenous peoples have the tools, education and support to thrive in the digital age. We develop and deliver Indigenized technology curriculum, and partner with values-aligned institutions to deliver a wide-range of relevant and engaging training.

It's been quite a year. What has been an exciting part of this year for FNTC? What are you all looking forward to?

This year, our organization translated every single one of our technology training courses to online environments, and have reached more Indigenous students than ever before with our Learn from Home campaign. We also launched our Focus in Innovation and Technology course and our Drone Stewardship course, which were both designed in-house using best practices in Indigenous and adult education. We are looking forward to the new courses that are being developed and will launch next year, and continuing to build up a network of Indigenous Innovators who are equipped to navigate an ever-changing technological landscape.

And, can you tell us why are you excited to be part of the Vancouver UX Awards?

The Vancouver UX Awards is a reflection of a wonderful community of people who are committed to social innovation and impact. In the First Nations Technology Council’s work to elevate Indigenous voices and world views within the tech and innovation sectors, we recognize UX as a clear platform for advancing these goals. We are excited to collaborate on increasing the participation and leadership of Indigenous UX Designers who can contribute to creating meaningful and equitable experiences.  

Learn more about our scholarship partner, BrainStation in our blog post here. And don’t forget to get your tickets to the upcoming Virtual Awards Gala, hosted online on November 26th 2020.

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