At UpstartED, we build locally and culturally relevant programs that are designed with youth, their educators, families and community members. In doing so, we hope to honour the histories and lived realities of historically marginalized communities. We also hope to reframe the relationship between those who hold the resources and power to design educational interventions and those impacted by these designs.
Our Approach
Our programs adapt to the geographic, historic and cultural context of our schools
.png)
We believe that, in an educational context, a 'one-size-fits-all' approach is not only ineffective but potentially harmful. Every child learns differently. Each school has a unique culture. Every community has its own history and values. We wish to respect these differences and ensure that we do not impose one particular worldview onto learners. In order to make sure that our programs are locally and culturally relevant, we place the voices of our beneficiaries at the center of our learning design decisions through our participatory approach.
Our Program Design Iteration Loop
We consider youth, educators, elders and community members to be our co-designers.
Hear more about our approach
from one of our education partners
Liard McMillan and Maura Sullivan at The Individual Learning Center in Whitehorse, Yukon
.png)