The VIATEC Foundation will gift $130,000 to various organizations throughout the region after a month-long competition among Victoria’s tech companies.
The Foundation’s Food Bank Challenge asked local companies to raise as much food and cash donations as possible for The Mustard Seed. The challenge raised $63,406 in cash, along with 3,297 pounds of food which is calculated to be $2 per pound, totalling $70,000 for the non-profit — 40 per cent more than last year’s total.
In addition to the donation to The Mustard Seed, VIATEC will contribute $60,000 in support for four new projects.
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The Independent Media Producers Network Society will receive $10,000 for a filmmaking camp for Indigenous youth next summer. The camp sees 15 Indigenous youth mentored by local filmmakers to complete films focusing on environment and food security and screened at the FLUX Gallery and the annual One Wave Festival.
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The Greater Victoria Public Library Board will receive $10,000 to support a digital media lab, which will offer new tools and learning opportunity that support the creativity and self-expression of people in the community. The funding will support the first phase of planning and designing the lab that will host equipment to convert photographs, slides, audio cassette tapes and VHS tapes into digital formats.
Another $10,000 will be given to the Junior Achievement of British Columbia for the TechWorks Victoria program that provides 350 local Grade 9 and 10 students the opportunity to explore technology-related careers. The program is designed to inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
The Gender Equity Fund will receive $30,000 to support initiatives in the region such as the gender equity lab that identifies solutions that promote gender equity in employment within the Capital Regional District.
kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca
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