For Band Councils & Indigenous Communities
GrowthWithin STEAM was built to serve communities like yours — with respect for your sovereignty, your knowledge sySTEAMs, and your vision for your children's future. We don't bring a program and ask you to adapt. We come to listen, to learn, and to build together.
Land Acknowledgement
GrowthWithin STEAM gratefully acknowledges that we operate on the traditional territories of Anishinaabe, Ojibwe, and Cree peoples across Northwestern Ontario. The Red Rock Indian Band — Opwaaganasiniing — whose ancestral connections to the land along Lake Superior's north shore extend back countless generations, is a founding community partner. We are guests on this land, and we carry that responsibility into every program we deliver.
Our Commitment
We begin every partnership with a conversation with Band Council and community leadership — before designing anything. Your priorities shape the program, not the other way around.
Local ecosySTEAMs, traditional land stewardship, and Indigenous relationships with the natural world are woven into our science curriculum — not treated as an afterthought.
Examples, themes, and storytelling within lessons are adapted to reflect community values and local culture. Students see themselves in the curriculum.
Every program concludes with a community celebration where students present their work to families, elders, and Band Council — a moment of shared pride and recognition.
Students leave with their own micro:bit kit — a tangible continuation of the learning that belongs to them, not left in a box at the end of the week.
We don't parachute in and disappear. We reflect, gather feedback, and plan forward together. The relationship deepens with each season.
Our Principles
These are not policies we follow. They are values we hold — and that shape every decision we make in community.
Communities determine what programs look like, when they happen, and what values they reflect. We support that vision — we don't replace it.
Observation, relationship, seasonal knowledge, and land stewardship are sophisticated ways of understanding the world — and entirely compatible with contemporary science and technology.
Trust is built slowly, through showing up consistently and listening carefully. We prioritize the relationship over the curriculum.
We don't measure success in test scores. We measure it in the moment a child looks at something they built and says: "I made that."
Every community has a unique history, culture, and set of priorities. We never copy-paste a program from one community to another.
Partnership Story
In the summer of 2025, GrowthWithin STEAM delivered its first STEAM Discovery Camp in partnership with the Red Rock Indian Band (Opwaaganasiniing) — an Ojibwe First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Superior near Nipigon.
The program began with community consultation and was co-designed to reflect the Band's values and the children's interests. Twelve youth ages 8–12 participated across five weekly sessions — exploring coding, robotics, environmental sensors, and maker challenges. The program concluded with a Community Showcase where families and Band members celebrated student projects.
Every student went home with a micro:bit STEAM kit — theirs to keep.
Program at a Glance
How to Start
There's no form to fill out, no RFP to respond to, no lengthy application process. Just reach out. We'll go from there at whatever pace works for your community.
Send an email, make a call, or fill out our contact form. Tell us about your community and what you're hoping for. There's no wrong way to start.
We'll schedule a conversation — as informal or as formal as you prefer. We listen first. We ask questions. We share ideas. No commitment required.
If there's a good fit, we co-design a program that serves your community's specific needs, values, and vision. From there, we grow.
As Manager of Indigenous Education, I have witnessed Javier Nossa demonstrate what true allyship in education looks like. He brings strong STEAM expertise, yet always begins with listening, and ensuring that programming reflects community voices, priorities, and cultural values.
Javier works in genuine partnership with Indigenous communities, recognizing that meaningful education must be relational and responsive. His approach honours Indigenous ways of knowing while supporting student confidence and growth in STEAM fields.
He models allyship not just in words, but in action while always walking alongside communities in a good way and strengthening both educational opportunity and trust.
Shy-Anne Bartlett
Manager of Indigenous Education
Superior-Greenstone District School Board
Javier Nossa has been an incredible addition to our after-school and summer camp programming in the community of Lake Helen. Through his thoughtfully designed STEAM sessions, Javier has engaged our children and youth in hands-on, creative learning experiences that spark curiosity and build confidence.
He has taken the time to come into our community, connect with the students, and provide opportunities many of them might not otherwise have had. His sessions are not only educational but also fun and deeply meaningful for the children who participate.
Javier has developed strong, positive relationships with both our staff and the children, demonstrating genuine care, patience, and enthusiasm in every interaction. We are truly grateful for the dedication, energy, and generosity he has shown in sharing his knowledge and passion for STEAM with our community.
Kellie Wrigley
Education Director
Red Rock Indian Band
Reach out to start a conversation about what GrowthWithin STEAM could look like in your community — on your terms, at your pace.
My name is Javier Nossa, and I come to live on this land from Bogotá, Colombia. I recognize that I live and work in the Robinson-Superior Treaty Area. In Thunder Bay, I acknowledge the land of Fort William First Nation, and in Red Rock, the traditional lands of Red Rock Indian Band.
I honour the past, present, and future custodians of the land and thank Indigenous Nations for their stewardship, teachings, and guidance toward a better future.
I acknowledge my responsibility to Call to Action 63 by bringing Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum through respectful collaboration with local communities. I work to ensure this knowledge is honoured, not appropriated.
I recognize the colonial impact on these lands and commit to helping students understand this history while integrating Indigenous perspectives into STEAM education.
Miigwech. Thank you. Merci. Gracias.