Youth are among the most tech-savvy demographics in Canada — but much of that energy goes into consumption, not creation. Streaming, gaming, and social media dominate digital time, while opportunities to build, code, and create remain unevenly distributed.
Why Creation Matters
Digital citizenship: Creating fosters agency, critical thinking, and responsibility online.
Economic future: Canada’s workforce will increasingly depend on homegrown innovators.
Equity: Without access to creative tools, youth risk being locked into consumer roles while others design the future.
Expression: Art, music, video, and code all allow youth to tell stories and shape culture in new ways.
Barriers to Youth Creation
Access gaps: Not all schools offer coding, media production, or maker spaces.
Cost: Software, devices, and high-speed internet can be prohibitive.
Confidence: Many youth don’t see themselves as “tech people,” even when they’re highly capable.
Representation: A lack of role models from diverse backgrounds reinforces barriers.
Canadian Context
STEM programs: Investments exist, but often concentrated in urban areas.
Arts vs tech divide: Creative programs and technical training are often siloed, even though the future is hybrid.
Community role: Nonprofits and libraries sometimes fill gaps, but lack scale and stable funding.
The Opportunities
Maker culture: Open labs, coding bootcamps, and digital art collectives can nurture creators.
Mentorship: Connecting youth with industry professionals and community leaders.
Curriculum reform: Embedding creation across subjects — from history podcasts to science coding projects.
Global platforms: Encouraging Canadian youth to not just join, but shape the digital spaces they inhabit.
The Bigger Picture
If youth are only consumers of technology, they inherit the world as it is. If they’re creators, they get to shape the world as it could be.
The Question
How do we ensure every young person in Canada has the tools, mentors, and confidence to be a creator of technology and culture, not just a consumer?
Creating, Not Just Consuming
Beyond the Scroll
Youth are among the most tech-savvy demographics in Canada — but much of that energy goes into consumption, not creation. Streaming, gaming, and social media dominate digital time, while opportunities to build, code, and create remain unevenly distributed.
Why Creation Matters
Barriers to Youth Creation
Canadian Context
The Opportunities
The Bigger Picture
If youth are only consumers of technology, they inherit the world as it is. If they’re creators, they get to shape the world as it could be.
The Question
How do we ensure every young person in Canada has the tools, mentors, and confidence to be a creator of technology and culture, not just a consumer?