We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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UOIT student project supports employment-related initiatives in Durham Region

June 12, 2013

FBIT students who created emplay (from left): Steve Spade (fourth-year Commerce); fourth-year Game Development and Entrepreneurship students Sedona Parnham and Lindsay Mikula; and Aaraniyan Vive (fourth-year Commerce).

As part of its commitment to ensuring students are job-ready and achieve their greatest personal potential, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) integrates its curriculum with relevant, hands-on learning experiences to apply their knowledge. One such opportunity in the Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT) is the Capstone study project, where a student team is matched with an organization to complete a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of real-world problem, and find or propose solutions.

A recent Capstone project by FBIT students has helped the Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre develop a new, interactive youth-oriented employment game called emplay.

Fourth-year Game Development and Entrepreneurship students Sedona Parnham and Lindsay Mikula teamed up with fourth-year Commerce students Steve Spade and Aaraniyan Vive to create emplay, which is designed to help youth understand the importance of determining and following a well-researched employment plan and discovering career pathways.

The UOIT students also drew upon on the expertise of Christopher Couch, a guidance counsellor at R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Oshawa, Ontario and staff at the Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre.

Emplay was recently nominated for a $5,000 Capstone award and received praise from an educational and technological perspective at Level Up 2013, a showcase of Ontario's student game design talent. Level Up 2013 featured more than 50 game projects from 12 participating institutions, including UOIT.

The Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre also featured emplay in a recent edition of its e-newsletter. Now that the initial Capstone project is complete, the centre is seeking opportunities to advance the game through research and development.

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