Celebrating 10 Years of Connected North in the Yukon

A decade of connections

On Thursday, October 1, educators, partners and community leaders gathered at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse for the Connected North Yukon Community Builder Awards. The evening marked 10 years of Connected North in the Yukon.

Over that decade, 331 Yukon educators have booked sessions through the program, bringing more than 3,800 live, interactive sessions to students in 33 schools. The awards honoured 63 educators, content providers, partners and community connectors who made that possible.

An evening of welcome

The Dakhká Khwáan Dancers opened the evening, and guests were welcomed with words of thanks: Shä̀w níthän, Gùnèłchīsh, Tsin'įį choh, Niyę sáw nîidhín, Mä̀hsi' cho, Sógá sénlá and Merci.

Welcoming remarks came from Chief Sean Uyenets’echᶖa Smith of Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Co-Chair of the Chiefs Committee on Education; Commissioner Adeline Webber; and Ruth Burridge, President of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals (YAEP).

“The learning experiences made possible through Connected North can have a lasting impact,” Commissioner Webber said. “They may spark a new interest, introduce a student to someone who inspires them, encourage them to ask a question they had never considered before, or help them see their own culture, community, and experiences reflected in their education.”

Community and education leaders then introduced each group of honourees: CYFN Grand Chief Math'ieya Alatini, Member of Parliament Brendan Hanley, First Nation School Board Executive Director Melissa Flynn, Area 1 Superintendent Christine Franes, and Daniel Blais, Direction générale adjointe of the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon. Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director of TakingITGlobal and Connected North, spoke before the final presentation, to the community connectors who helped grow the network.

The evening's artwork, “When We All See The Path,” is by Blake Shaá’koon Lepine. It shows a human figure held close to Raven, who guides us all on our paths. “There’s always a harmony when we can all see the journey together,” Lepine writes, explaining the eye placed inside Raven’s wing “so we can all see the path.”

Ten years by the numbers

These are the program's figures for its first decade in the Yukon, as shared at the event:

• 3,875sessions delivered
• 33participating Yukon schools
• 331educators booking sessions
• 488unique content providers
• 94%session satisfaction rating

Watch: 10 Years of Connected North in the Yukon · 2:01

The 2026 honourees

The honourees are listed in the order they were presented, with each educator’s school as named on the night.

Tiffany Eckert-Maret of Da Daghay Development Corporation spoke on behalf of this year’s community connectors. She recalled Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow, the vision Elijah Smith and Yukon chiefs brought to Ottawa more than 53 years ago.

“Every day, you take that vision and put it into practice,” she said of Connected North. “A student in a remote community can meet a mentor, explore a career, or learn from an Elder hundreds of kilometres away, without leaving home. You’re connecting our children today to the opportunities of tomorrow.”

Here’s to the next 10 years

“The Connected North program is an asset to Ghùch Tlâ Community School and many others,” Haa Shaa Du Hen Maria Benoit of Carcross/Tagish First Nation said in a message shared during the evening. “We would be honored to continue to welcome Connected North into our community for another 10 years.”

Connected North congratulates all of this year’s award recipients and thanks everyone who joined the celebration. Thank you to the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, to every speaker and presenter, and to the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre for hosting.

See the honourees and the awards on the Community Builder Awards page.