Two weeks ago, a group of First Nations teenagers and young adults arrived at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School having had little experience with Internet technology. Today (October 31), the 12 students are leaving Galiano Island, taking home with them valuable skills in digital media, social media, and independent filmmaking.

Nick Middleton, codirector of the film school, told the Georgia Straight that the students, who are between the ages of 16 and 38 and represent nine First Nations in British Columbia, spent the past two weeks living on the island and participating in a new digital-connectivity program.

“I think it’s been very empowering,” Middleton said by phone from the island. “I don’t think they realized how much of a difference they can make from any corner of B.C. It doesn’t matter if they’re in a large area with a lot of like-minded people. They can find that community on-line.”

The students’ mentors were Tracie Louttit, an Eeyou-Nishnawbe producer, camera operator, and editor, and Chris Bose, a N'laka'pamux photographer, filmmaker, digital storyteller, poet, and musician.

All of the students received training in digital literacy; learned how to write, direct, shoot, and edit their own public service announcements; and were shown how to use free social-media tools to promote their work. Their PSAs, which focus on the importance of Internet connectivity to them or their communities, will be posted on the film school’s Web site.

Collectively, the students have formed REZolutions Media, and are setting up a group blog on Tumblr as well as a YouTube channel. They’re also each leaving with their own high-definition video camera and laptop containing a built-in Web cam.

“Hopefully, what we’re going to see is that they have the skills and the confidence to document whatever is important to them in their community, get it up on-line, promote it,” Middleton said. “That infrastructure’s already in place for them now.”

Founded in 1995, the film school is a live-in media-production-training facility that has offered a filmmaking program for aboriginal students since 1996. With the support of the First Nations Education Steering Committee, this is the first time the school has offered the digital-connectivity program.

On November 7, the students, along with Middleton and their mentors, will participate in a panel discussion at the 15th annual Provincial Conference on Aboriginal Education in Vancouver. Called Aboriginal Youth in a Web 2.0 World, the panel will see them speak through on-line videoconferencing about their experiences at the film school.

“I really hope that other people will be able to see that what we’re doing is important, that it is groundbreaking, that it’s not hard to train these students, and how important it is for them,” Middleton said. “Hopefully, we can let them speak and empower their voice at the conference, and let their videos speak for themselves.”

He’s hopeful the digital-connectivity program will garner enough support—and funding—so the film school can continue to offer it in the coming years.

“My hope would be that we see these 12 students return and mentor other youth from other communities, so that they’ll become a role model in their communities, that they can train other people at home,” Middleton said. “But even more so that we can bring them back and showcase what they’re doing and help them train other people who were in their shoes this year.”

In June, Sue Hanley, coordinator of the First Nations Technology Council, told the Straight that the lack of Internet connectivity, residential access, computers, technical support, and user skills in many First Nations communities constitutes a digital divide in B.C.

While 92 percent of British Columbians have access to broadband Internet, 80 of the 203 First Nations in B.C. are waiting for high-speed connectivity. If the provincial government’s 2011-12 target of 190 First Nations with broadband is met, 13 First Nations, or six percent, will still lack broadband at that time.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.