We’re celebrating February as Black Futures Month by highlighting the Black presence in innovation in BC and beyond. This event is sponsored by Unity x Meta Higher Ed XR Innovation grant.
Grounded in the pillars of Inspiration, Community, Culture, and Innovation – this two-day summit includes a curated public event showcasing Black Innovation and creation and a youth-centred Hack-A-Thon we’ve renamed Blackathon (Black-A-Thon).
This February join us in celebrations highlighting leaders and bringing the youth community together.
Ethọ́s Lab Innovation Summit
Date: Thursday, Feb 16 2023
Time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Reliance Theatre, Emily Carr Campus
Tickets: Open The Public. Free Admission. All Ages.
Program
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Community Marketplace, exhibits, and welcome snacks
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Performances, Keynote Speaker and Showcase
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Reception & Mingle
Grounded by the pillars of Inspiration, Community, Culture and Entrepreneurship – Ethọ́s Lab Innovation Summit aims to spotlight Ethọ́s Lab’s unique innovation ecosystem through interactive experiences, hearing from inspirational speakers, exhibits, and the showcasing of talents within the community including a marketplace featuring local BIPOC businesses and innovators as well as spotlighting youth-led brands and creatives.
Innovation Summit Made Possible By
Event Sponsors
Program Sponsors
Help Us Launch Our Annual Black Futures Month Fundraiser!
Proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly toward our annual fundraising efforts.
Black Futures Month launches our 100K in 100 Days Fundraiser to support staffing and programming all year.
This event will feature a community marketplace spotlighting local BIPOC brands and businesses in addition to youth innovators, and creatives.
Come check out the following vendors and more!
Ethos Lab Blackathon
Date: Friday, Feb 17 2023
Time: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Location: Centre for Digital Media. 685 Great Northern Way, Vancouver
Tickets: For Highschool Students Only. Youth Participants Can Register below
For Teachers:
VSB Teachers can register through the Current Professional Development Opportunities Website
or Directly with this form
Program
9:00 am - 11:00 am: Teacher Training
How to Integrate Inclusion, New Technology, and Culture in the Paradigm of Afro-futurism Into The Classroom
11:00 am - 6:00 pm: Youth Blackathon
Calling youth in Youths grades 7-12. Ethọ́s Lab invites you to the 1st Annual Ethọ́s Lab Black Futures Month Hackathon or as we call it a “Black-A-Thon”.
A hackathon is an event in which many people come together to engage in collective problem-solving.
Participants typically work in teams to develop new projects, creating functional prototypes or proofs-of-concept by the end of the event.
The goal of a hackathon is to encourage innovation and creativity while fostering collaboration.
The Ethọ́s Lab Black-A-Thon will focus on hacking inventions in Black History.
Over the course of the event groups of five (5) participants will be given an invention and tasked to recreate the object within a speculative scenario. Each group will have a mentor from Microsoft, who will help them complete the project!
Music and delicious food will set the mood as we are convening 50 youths from across the region to join us for a day of celebration, collaboration, and fun!
The winning team will win prizes curated by our partners including swag and of course bragging rights and champions to beat until the next Blackathon!
Keynote Speaker/Showcase
Will Selviz rendrd
Featured Work: NBA Creators
Will Selviz is a futurist, technical artist and director who is well-versed in a variety of immersive media technologies, including 3D animation, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and volumetric capture.
As an Afro-Caribbean artist, he brings a unique perspective and cultural influences to his work, which often delves into themes of belonging, the meaning of ‘home’, and the immigrant experience. Through his use of new media technologies, Selviz is able to transport his audience to surreal worlds that are inspired by his own childhood memories and that offer glimpses into possible futures that center and uplift underserved communities.
Will is also designing Ethos Lab x Centre for Digital Media’s XR Media Summer Camp. Overall, Selviz is a visionary artist who is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of media and storytelling
Innovation Summit Co-Host
MaryLou Djide
Ethos Lab Youth Member
MaryLou is a 16 year old Ethọ́sian who has been part of the Ethọ́s Lab community since day one. She has participated in our sustainability camp, gaming workshops and leadership program. When MaryLou is not participating in Ethọ́s Lab activities she is a high level Track Athlete, having recently received an award to train with Andre Degrasses Trainer for a year! French is her first language, but she also speaks Italian!
Innovation Summit Co-Host
Ian Cromwell
Curator of Locals Lounge and Health Economist
Born in Vancouver but spending half his life in Ontario, Ian’s pursuit of distraction led him down two very separate paths. By day Ian is an academic whose research interests center on the economics of health care. By night Ian is a regular feature on stages within Vancouver’s music scene both as a solo looping rock and soul artist, and as the fiddle player for saloon-folk band Jack Mercer & The Whiskey Bandits. For the previous two years, Ian has been host and curator of Locals Lounge, a live interview and performance series devoted to exploring Vancouver’s underground indie music scene. He recently deepened his engagement in community by running in the Vancouver municipal elections as a candidate for One City.
