Ampere helping local youth discover futures in technology

COLLEEN GREEN The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: For many young people, discovering a future career path can happen in unexpected ways. For Tanner Big Canoe, it started with a high school elective and eventually led him to studying computer science, at Queen’s University — a journey he credits, in large part, to the support and opportunities provided by Ampere.

Mr. Big Canoe first became involved with Ampere through a personal connection, while searching for a part-time job, during high school. Already interested in working with youth and developing a growing passion for coding, he was introduced to the organization and quickly found himself immersed in a new world of digital learning.

“I had never really been looking for these kinds of digital opportunities before,” said Mr. Big Canoe. “As soon as I exposed myself to that elective in school, Ampere popped up as this awesome opportunity.”

He began working as a Makerspace Assistant, spending a gap year learning from educators and mentors at Ampere, before deciding to pursue computer science full-time at university.

“Originally, I was thinking about going into engineering or business,” he explained. “I didn’t really know computer science, to that degree, until my time at Ampere. It completely changed my career direction.”

Today, Mr. Big Canoe is the Director of Productions at Ampere.

He said, Ampere’s learning environment stood apart from traditional education, by encouraging youth to explore their own interests instead of following rigid lesson plans.

“At Ampere, it felt more like you come in with your own idea of what you want to explore, and then educators help you explore that,” he said. “It made learning feel creative and exciting.”

That hands-on, learner-driven approach has become a hallmark of Ampere’s programming. Through makerspaces, digital literacy training, coding workshops, cybersecurity education, artificial intelligence programs, and creative technology exploration, the organization aims to make technology accessible to all youth; especially in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

Mr. Big Canoe says, the organization plays an important role in closing, what he calls, the “digital access gap.”

“Growing up in rural Ontario, we didn’t always have access to the same opportunities as bigger cities,” he said. “When I got to university, I met students who had been taking computer science courses all through high school, while my school only had one game design elective.”

Ampere works to bridge that gap, by bringing technology, training, and mentorship directly into under-served communities. The organization also focuses on sustainability, by teaching local educators and community members how to continue sharing digital skills long after the programs leave.

For youth struggling within traditional classroom settings, Mr. Big Canoe believes, spaces like Ampere can help rebuild confidence and curiosity around learning.

“In environments like Ampere, learning becomes fun again,” he said. “You get to be creative, explore new skills, and discover things you might never have known existed.”

He encourages both parents and youth to take advantage of opportunities which expose young people to new experiences and technologies.

“Don’t be afraid to explore new topics,” he said. “There are communities and makerspaces out there which want to help youth learn in creative ways. From my experience, it was an absolute blast.”

As technology continues to advance rapidly, organizations like Ampere are helping ensure local youth are not left behind, while inspiring future careers which may not have even existed a generation ago.