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There are nearly half a billion Indigenous Peoples in 90 countries around the world. Indigenous Peoples are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people on the planet. The international community recognizes that special measures are required to protect Indigenous rights and to maintain their distinct cultures and ways of life.[i]<\/sup><\/p>\n To raise awareness of the issues Indigenous Peoples face, the UN has declared August 9 International Day of the World\u2019s Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n At Cisco Networking Academy, we are proud to deliver curriculum and experiences that empower learners in 190 countries for a new education era.[ii]<\/sup> We know education is an equalizer. We work to elevate people of all backgrounds, and to bridge digital divides for underrepresented communities, opening them up to a world of opportunities to participate and contribute to evolving economies.<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to take this moment to share some inspiring stories of Indigenous individual and community elevation and empowerment through our Cisco Networking Academy community.<\/p>\n Tallara[iii]<\/sup> (Tully) was born and raised in a small town called Yass, around 280km southwest of Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing from the country I\u2019ve only worked in retail jobs,\u201d she says. \u201cAt high school I got into hospitality just because that\u2019s easy work in Yass. There are lots of restaurants and things\u2026 that\u2019s why I went into that.\u201d<\/p>\n Tully\u2019s High school teacher, Trish, had moved on to a role at Kirra Services, a Supply Nation Certified Indigenous IT business that aims to increase opportunities for Indigenous participation in the IT industry.<\/p>\n Trish recognized Tully\u2019s desire to help people, and suggested she join the Junior Cybersecurity Analyst[iv]<\/sup>\u202fpathway program Kirra was facilitating.<\/p>\n Tully jumped at the opportunity<\/p>\n Since starting Tully has spent time helping remote Indigenous communities get online by traveling to an indigenous community at Lake Cargelligo, nearly 600km west of Sydney.<\/p>\n \u201cI have Indigenous heritage on my dad\u2019s side. It\u2019s been a big thing. And even just living in Yass you see the community having struggles with these sort of things,\u201d she says. \u201cSo it\u2019s been a big thing to be able to come out here, and obviously I can relate a little bit with them out here as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it would be obviously my goal to do this kind of community work,\u201d says Tully of her time at Lake Cargelligo. \u201cIt\u2019s so rewarding just to be with people\u2014I love being with people\u2014it\u2019s been really awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n We are encouraged to hear that Tully is also now participating in a three-year project management traineeship. It\u2019s enthusiastic and well-trained young people like Tully who will help bridge the digital divide faced by remote rural and Indigenous communities in Australia, bringing connectivity and opportunities they may have never imagined existed.<\/p>\n About halfway around the world in Panama, a Cisco Networking Instructor Julio Lezcano[v]<\/sup> has devoted his career to getting Panamanians online\u2014in the 1990s he was instrumental in getting Panama connected to the internet.<\/p>\n But despite Panama\u2019s introduction to the internet in 1994 and the explosion in the use of mobile devices, the last World Bank data for Panama shows only\u202f68 percent of the population[vi]<\/sup>\u202fusing the internet.<\/p>\n In part, this is because traditional internet providers can\u2019t justify the costs of getting internet connections to remote communities.<\/p>\n Julio, professor of Computer Networks at the Technological University of Panama (UTP), recognized that\u202fIndigenous communities in the Chagres River Basin were close enough to Panama City to be tourist destinations, yet remote enough that they didn\u2019t have internet connectivity. He also recognized that a different internet service solution was ideal for these communities.<\/p>\n At the first\u202fLatin American Summit of Community Networks,[vii]<\/sup> held in September 2018, a definition of this different model was developed: \u201cCommunity networks are networks owned and collectively managed by the community, non-profit and for community purposes; They are constituted as collectives, Indigenous communities or nonprofit civil society organizations, which exercise their right to communication, under principles of democratic participation of their members, equity, gender equality, diversity and plurality.\u201d<\/p>\n On October 21, 2023, the Panama Chapter of Internet Sociedad (ISOC Panama), with the support of UTP launched the community networks of Tusipono and Parar\u00e1 Puru, Ember\u00e1 indigenous communities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe objective of the community networks project in the Ember\u00e1 Indigenous communities of Panama is that the women and men of Tusipono and Parar\u00e1 Puru will build a self-managed wireless community network, whose main objective is to preserve and promote the Ember\u00e1 culture through the sustainability of artisans and entrepreneurs of ethnic tourism, because these activities are the main sources of income for the community,\u201d says Julio.<\/p>\n Thirty years after succeeding in getting Panama connected to the internet, Julio continues to engage underrepresented communities to create personal empowerment, workforce opportunity, and stronger communities.<\/p>\n Dr Gabriella Arellano[viii]<\/sup>\u202fpursued her lifelong ambition to get into education, enrolling to study for her master\u2019s degree at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. \u201cI was accepted into a few graduate schools in California,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I wanted to go to school here so I could meet people.\u201d<\/p>\n After graduating she was offered a teaching role at Standing Rock Reservation.\u202f\u201cI had never been to Standing Rock. I learned a lot about the community and the culture,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Gabriella went on to get certified as a college-level instructor, and qualified as a Cisco Networking Academy instructor as well. This led to a job at Sitting Bull Community College, a public tribal land-grant college founded by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.<\/p>\n With a small student body of only around 300, the college faces challenges offering a broad range of courses. For this reason Sitting Bull College partnered with Turtle Mountain Community College and Stone Child Community College to develop a consortium to offer cybersecurity courses in rural tribal colleges in two different states.\u202fIt is a shared-resources model that helps provide students a broader range of opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important for people\u2014especially people who care about education\u2014to know that there are rural community strategies to increase the access to opportunities for students. Education is evolving and there is always more to do. It has been inspiring to work with Cisco\u2019s technical leaders and business development team who have gone above and beyond to help us provide the best education to our students. It has impacted and changed many lives.\u201d<\/p>\n The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples[ix]<\/sup> stresses the importance of education for Indigenous empowerment. These diverse stories exemplify Cisco Networking Academy\u2019s potential to power inclusive futures for all, through learning and digital skills, including for Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Sources<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n [i] https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/observances\/indigenous-day<\/p>\n [ii] https:\/\/www.cisco.com\/c\/m\/en_us\/about\/csr\/esg-hub\/global\/digital-skills.html#:~:text=Cisco%20Networking%20Academy,-Cisco%20Networking%20Academy&text=We%20aim%20to%20transform%20the,an%20inclusive%20future%20for%20all.<\/p>\n [iii] https:\/\/www.netacad.com\/careers\/success-stories\/opportunity-knocks-for-tallara-in-regional-australia<\/p>\n [iv] https:\/\/skillsforall.com\/career-path\/cybersecurity?courseLang=en-US&utm_source=netacad.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=success-story<\/p>\n [v] https:\/\/www.netacad.com\/careers\/success-stories\/quest-to-connect-panama<\/p>\n [vi] https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/IT.NET.USER.ZS?locations=PA<\/p>\n [vii] https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/resources\/doc\/2018\/community-networks-in-latin-america\/<\/p>\n [viii] https:\/\/www.netacad.com\/careers\/success-stories\/empowering-students-at-standing-rock-reservation<\/p>\n [ix] https:\/\/www.un.org\/esa\/socdev\/unpfii\/documents\/DRIPS_en.pdf<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Share:<\/p>\n \n \t<\/div>\nEducation is an equalizer<\/h2>\n
Grasping opportunity with both hands<\/h2>\n
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Transforming lives and preserving cultures<\/h2>\n
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Indigenous education for greater opportunity<\/h2>\n
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Powering an inclusive future for all<\/h2>\n
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