BY: SHAUNA-KAY CASSELL
On December 1st, 2018, approximately seventy-five Caribbean/black students from all over the Greater Toronto Area in grades 10 to 12 gathered at the RBC Waterpark Place Auditorium in Toronto for a free digital literacy workshop called, “Hacker, Hipster or Hustler – Discover Your Tech Identity.” This workshop was collaborated by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI) geared towards helping black Canadian youth to prepare for their career in tomorrow’s workforce.”
Parents and students dispersed for their morning sessions in different auditoriums. The students were in the larger auditorium learning about their tech personalities, developing team building skills, and designing and coding. Simultaneously, the parents were in the small auditorium sitting in a panel discussion called, “Future of Work” with key RBC leaders such as Pennie Santiago, Senior Director, End User Experience; Teri Dennis-Davies, Vice President and Head Human Resources, Investor and Treasury Services; Leona McCharles, Vice President, Global Recruitment; Alex Peh, Vice President, Innovation; Mark Beckles, Senior Director, Youth Strategy and Innovation; and Denise Pratt, Director, Awareness and Education, Cybersecurity.
By 11:30 am, both students and parents reunited in the large auditorium at the showcase arcade where students pitched their ideas for their apps or websites to an attentive audience made up of parents, mentors, volunteers, and RBC staff. The RBC judges scrutinized the work of each team and evaluated the top three. “I was really impressed with the presentations,” said Senta Taylor, Vice President, Operations and Strategic Planning at RBC. “I was expecting a lot and I got a lot…even more.” Taylor further expressed that the parents and the RBC volunteers were equally impressed with what they saw and some parents were surprised at their child’s abilities.
There were common themes in innovative apps such as tutoring, giving advice on self-esteem and mental health. The winning team called “Best Self” designed an app that gave advice to students dealing with mental health challenges. Each member of the team received a $50 Visa gift card, and the other finalists received a $25 Visa gift card each. “We look forward to doing more next year…we’re committed to our theme of making communities prosper…that’s the reason why partnerships [between Lifelong Leadership Institute] like this are important. Being involved in these events are things we’ll continue to do” maintained Taylor.
The Building Digital Literacy Program was created by a partnership between RBC and Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI). RBC’s mission is to empower our communities through the extension of digital literacy skills and knowledge to youth and adults. The organization has a $500 million, ten-year commitment to help young Canadians prepare for “a drastically changing workforce.” Alternatively, LLI’s mission through its signature program, Leadership By Design is to inspire leadership and provide leadership development, career development and a range of personal-growth opportunities to Jamaicans and African-Canadian students who are enrolled in high schools across the GTA.
The partnership leads to an outstanding event this past weekend for both parents and students alike. Students can now build on their digital literacy skills and know that there is a career out in the workforce waiting for them, as well as a supportive group of professionals whose vision it is to develop leaders for tomorrow’s workforce.
Stay in the loop with exclusive news, stories, and insights—delivered straight to your inbox. No fluff, just real content that matters. Sign up today!
