JEDI and CyberLaunch Academy partner in teaching cyber security to Aboriginal communities

Press Release

Fredericton, Nov. 4: The Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) has partnered with CyberLaunch Academy to hold a cyber security workshop for its Aboriginal trainers on November 7 and 8, 2016. During this training, CyberLaunch Academy’s cyber security experts will introduce JEDI’s Aboriginal trainers to the modern landscape of cyber security threats. The trainers will go through rigorous hands-on-training to learn how-to protect their privacy and economic well-being from cyber criminals.

The cyber security workshop is organized as part of JEDI’s Aboriginal Digital Literacy Train-the-Trainer program and will become part of the ongoing curriculum within the program. JEDI has added the cyber security component to the program to ensure that all of the Digital Literacy graduates follow safe practices to avoid cyber-attacks. Upon completion of the workshop, JEDI’s trainers will teach these newly acquired skills to their Aboriginal clients in New Brunswick.

“We decided to add the cyber security component to our Train-the-Trainer program in order to provide these essential skills to our Digital Literacy students,” said Alex Dedam, president of JEDI. “The Aboriginal Digital Literacy program provides a variety of Information Communications Technology (ICT) training to Aboriginal Peoples in New Brunswick and this training helps the participants develop or enhance their computer skills while also helping them grow both professionally and personally. Cyber security training benefits not only the Aboriginal Trainers themselves but also positively impacts the students and their communities.”

JEDI’s current focus on cyber security reflects growing concerns about the skyrocketing number of cybercrimes towards users of all types of computing devices. It is forecasted that by the year 2019 cybercrime will become a $2.1 trillion problem worldwide. The recent cyber security trends show that cybercrime is becoming more organized, more sophisticated, and more often employs cross-border schemes to steal or extort sensitive information and money from their victims.

“It often comes as a surprise to many people I talk to that cyber criminals are more likely to go after ordinary people than after a big business,” said Dr. Stakhanova, CyberLaunch Academy President. “There is no mystery in this phenomenon. Ordinary people are a much easier target. In fact, the current trends suggest that if you have a smartphone or a computer, use the Internet or do online banking, it is only a matter of time before you become a target for cyber criminals. This training workshop is designed for users with little or no special computer training. The techniques we teach will help them protect their privacy and financial well-being against cyber criminals. These skills will also give them piece of mind when they use computing devices both at home and at the workplace.”

The cyber security workshop for JEDI’s Aboriginal trainers is a pilot partnership project between the Joint Economic Development Initiative and the CyberLaunch Academy.

“We see this workshop as a unique opportunity to promote cyber security among Aboriginal communities and to build their expertise in the area which occupies a central place in the New Brunswick strategic economic development plan,” said Dr. Stakhanova. “We hope this project will become the first step in building a long-term partnership between CyberLaunch Academy and JEDI to promote universal computer literacy among Aboriginal communities in the province.”

The Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) is an Aboriginal organization dedicated to working with partners to foster Aboriginal economic development in New Brunswick. Founded in 1995 as a tripartite partnership, JEDI provides its clients with a variety of Aboriginal business and workforce development services. The JEDI Aboriginal Digital Literacy project is part of the New Brunswick Aboriginal Information Communications Technology (NBAICT) training-to-employment project. The Digital Literacy Train-the-Trainer component allows JEDI to build capacity within Aboriginal communities and also to provide needed training more often and in more locations. The Aboriginal Digital Literacy program is funded by the Department of Post-Secondary Training & Labour (DPETL) (http://www.jedinb.ca/main.html).

The CyberLaunch Academy is a non-governmental organization established in August 2016 to provide cyber education and training in New Brunswick. The primary objective of CyberLaunch Academy is to assist the province in promoting science and technology among school students, reducing gender imbalance in this field and building a high level of proficiency in computer science among its trainees. CyberLaunch Academy offers training courses and workshops for children and adults in computer coding, web design, robotics, virtual reality and cyber security (www.cyberlaunchacademy.ca).

Media contacts:

Gwen McIntyre, Communications Manager, Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI), 506-444-5650 ext.110

Oleg Stakhanov, Executive Director, CyberLaunch Academy, 506-440-0759