## Wake the Giant Cultural Training Goes Digital **Report Provider:** TBNewsWatch.com **Author:** Penny Robinson **Published:** July 12, 2025 (as per `publishedAt` timestamp) ### Overview Wake the Giant has launched a public, online, self-paced training platform designed to enhance understanding of Indigenous culture and the impacts of colonization in Canada. Developed in partnership with Culture Foundry Studios, an educational tech company specializing in Ojibwe language learning, the course is now accessible nationwide via a mobile application to individuals, organizations, and employers. ### Key Findings and Content * **Course Content:** The training, created with guidance from Elders, Knowledge Keepers, educators, and the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, covers essential topics such as residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and Indigenous history. Sean Spenrath, co-founder of Wake the Giant, described the learning as encompassing "cultural awareness, you're learning about the culture, you're learning about the history of indigenous peoples." * **Gamified Approach:** The platform incorporates a "gamified approach" to make the learning experience more engaging. * **Adaptation:** The public version is an adaptation of training previously developed for hospitals. ### Key Statistics and Metrics * **Hospital Mandate:** The training was made mandatory for employees at Thunder Bay's two hospitals in 2023. * **Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre:** Reports an **89.72%** completion rate, with over **3,195** staff members certified. * **St. Joseph’s Care Group:** Has certified over **2,200** employees, representing more than **90%** of its workforce. * **Workplace Recognition:** Employees who complete the training receive a Wake the Giant decal for their ID badges as a symbol of their commitment to cultural awareness. ### Public Launch Incentive To celebrate the public launch, individuals who complete the training **before September 1st** will receive a **10% discount code** for Tier 3 tickets to the Wake the Giant Music Festival. This incentive is described as a way to "reward people for doing the training." ### Purpose and Impact The training aims to foster greater cultural awareness and create a more welcoming environment, particularly for Indigenous youth visiting Thunder Bay from remote communities. ### News Identifiers * **URL:** `https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/wake-the-giant-cultural-training-goes-digital-10919894` * **Keywords:** Wake the Giant, Wake the Giant Music Festival, Wake the Giant 2025, Indigenous Culture and Inclusivity Training Course
Wake the Giant cultural training goes digital
Read original at TBNewsWatch.com →Anyone who completes the training before Sept. 1, will receive a 10 per cent discount code to the Wake the Giant Music Festival.THUNDER BAY – Wake the Giant has launched public online access to its training platform – an immersive, self-paced course designed to deepen understanding of Indigenous culture and the impacts of colonization in Canada.
“We’ve always wanted to make it available to the public, but also wanted to give it a gamified approach,” said Sean Spenrath, co-founder of Wake the Giant.Developed in partnership with Culture Foundry Studios, an educational tech company specializing in Ojibwe language learning, the course is now available to individuals, organizations, and employers nationwide through a mobile application.
“We asked Culture Foundry Studios to adapt our hospital training for the public, and now we have this beautiful, gamified version available to everyone,” Spenrath said.The training was created with guidance from Elders, Knowledge Keepers, educators, and the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, and includes content on residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and Indigenous history.
"Essentially, you're learning cultural awareness, you're learning about the culture, you're learning about the history of indigenous peoples," said Spenrath.The training program was announced in 2023 and the city's two hospitals made the training mandatory for its employees. The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre reports an 89.
72 per cent completion rate with more than 3,195 staff members certified. St. Joseph’s Care Group has certified more than 2,200 employees, representing more than 90 per cent of its workforce.Employees who complete the training wear a Wake the Giant decal on their ID badges, an ongoing symbol of their commitment to cultural awareness in the workplace.
“It’s about learning the culture, the history, and being more welcoming, especially to youth coming to Thunder Bay from remote communities,” said Spenrath.To celebrate the public launch, anyone who completes the training before Sept. 1, will receive a 10 per cent discount code for Tier 3 tickets to the Wake the Giant Music Festival.
“It’s a great way to reward people for doing the training, now everyone has access,” Spenrath noted.
