Tupper Nova: Technology  $6,850

Located on the east side of Vancouver, Tupper Nova Alternative Program supports 25 youth aged 14-18 from across the district. We are a low barrier school program with a mandate of re-engaging disconnected learners with significant attendance challenges (often having missed between 6 months - several years of school). The students are also highly resilient in the face of complex personal, socio-economic, and mental health issues. They need assignments where they can utilize some of the literacy they already possess: namely digital and technological.

The purpose of this project is to address issues of disconnection by providing access to Technology/Literacy materials that help ignite the learning process. We believe in following students' passions through project-based learning. Passion projects give a sense of ownership of the learning process, and motivate youth to participate and attend. Therefore, our goal is for students to engage in and complete projects involving photography, tablet sketching, drawing, and reading graphic novels. Our expected outcomes are increased attendance and increased course completion towards graduation.

Items to be purchased with funding:

$3,600 = 8 tablets with styluses, Wacom or Huion, about $450.00 each
$1,300 = 1 desktop computer for editing illustrations and photos, iMac.
$1,600 = 5 DSLR cameras for photography and stop-motion animation, $300-400 each.
$350 = 10-15 graphic novels to build school library and demonstrate a variety of drawing and illustration styles