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PANNIQTUUQ/PANGNIRTUNG
A Pangnirtung-based company wants more Inuit youth to harness the power of technology by learning and understanding how computers work.

Ryan Oliver, who lead the creation of Pinnguaq, wants to see more Inuit youth learn about technology. - photo courtesy of Ryan Oliver

That's why Ryan Oliver, the man behind Pinnguaq, created a week-long introductory course for kids aged 10 to 20 that will be delivered in English and Inuktitut.

The Nunavut Code Club, modelled after the U.K. Code Club, will introduce the basics in computer programming and feature industry experts who can talk about their work and experiences.

Each participant will have a computer of their own and the lessons will be developed by Nunavut educators and members of the Department of Education to ensure they meet the standards for proper teaching.

Oliver, who has lived in Pangnirtung for the past six years, said there is already a lot of interest despite only recently making the club public.

"I've already been contacted by the Nunavut Public Library Services and there was initial interest from the community when I pitched the idea last year," he said, adding that he is in the process of pitching the idea to various school and youth organizations across Nunavut.

"It was put on the back burner because it wasn't quite ready and we didn't have the right funding. Now we're giving it a second shot, we've figured it out and the interest is growing."

Oliver, who grew up in Lindsay, Ont., learned how to code in high school. After completing his studies at a Vancouver game-design school, he felt computer programming wasn't common enough in schools and that it should be.

The Code Club is just the latest in a series of projects for Pinnguaq, which means 'play' in Inuktitut.

The company has also developed an iPad application, tentatively called SongBird, that allows its user to learn Inuktitut through music. It features original songs and drawings by Inuit artists and should be completed by September, Oliver said.

They've also translated an application called Osmos – which won Apple's 2010 game of the year award – into Inuktitut. The update to the game will be available on June 20.

"This brings us back to our original mission statement which is that we want to inform Inuit youth they can get into this industry too," Oliver said. "Canada is one of the biggest video game producers and our Code Club is a logical step towards getting youth excited about the industry."

Tommy Akulukjuk, Oliver's right-hand man in Pinnguaq, doesn't consider himself very tech-savvy but he's always liked the idea of working with applications and seeing them translated into Inuktitut.

His partnership with Oliver began about 18 months ago. Akulukjuk will help ensure that the introductory course is presented in a culturally-appropriate way.

"Ryan is a good friend of mine and that's how we initially started working with each other," he said.

"Inuit people are incredibly adaptable. Youth are bombarded by technology nowadays and they might as well know how it works, because until now we've taken it for granted."

Akulukjuk hopes to see a day when Inuit youth will be able to explain computers and technology to elders.

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