THUNDER BAY – Oshki-Pimache-o_Win unveiled a new and innovative web portal designed to assist young people in Learning how to Mine. www.learningtomine.ca is directed toward First Nations youth, and in particular with efforts toward the Ring of Fire in Northwestern Ontario.Mining and offering a future for youth in Northwestern Ontario. Oshki-Pimache-o_Win offers learning experiences for youth. The project takes the form of an interactive video game, and allows the youth to gain knowledge about what they need to do in order to make a difference in their education choices to have a career in mining.
The Interactive Game Helps Youth
Participants in the launch of the program say that the game is fun and they get right into the game. Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Institute launched the innovative educational and career platform to help First Nations youth explore the world of mining. A group of youth visiting the Institute, as a part of Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund’s First Nation Youth Career Awareness Project, got a chance to explore Learning2Mine.ca for the very first time. The site is an interactive web portal that offers a gateway to careers in mining and gives young people options for education.
Developed by Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education & Training Institute, the portal provides information designed to inspire youth to pursue careers in mining and to prepare them for jobs and training opportunities.
Learning2Mine.ca Offers a Journey
Learning2Mine.ca features a mining game guided by First Nation traditional knowledge and modern mining practice. Gamers learn the basics of being a miner by exploring the land and discovering hidden resources and artefacts underground. Oshki-Pimache-O-Win’s E-Learning Coordinator, Gordon Kakegamic says; “While playing Waaniike, youth setup mining gear and equipment to reveal and excavate a wide variety of minerals – it uses mining processes, terms and equipment to help build mining literacy. The portal was developed to spark youth’s interest in mining, to encourage them to develop their skills and learn about training programs that are available.”
Students share that the game is fun, and it is believable.
Moving to the future, the portal demonstrates a combination of technology, traditional First Nations knowledge, and fun.
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