Workshops

Skins Workshops

What are the Skins Workshops?

Bringing Aboriginal Storytelling to Experimental Digital Media

The Skins Workshops teach Indigenous youth how to adapt stories from their community into experimental digital media, such as video games.

One of our goals is to encourage our youth to envision themselves in the future while drawing from their heritage. We believe this helps to promote and preserve our stories, languages and cultures while also exposing our youth to the digital tools of today and tomorrow.

Covering video games, machinima and 3D printing, our workshops are designed by an Indigenous-led team to empower Indigenous youth by showing them that they can be producers, not just consumers, of these exciting media.

Since 2006, AbTeC has been sharing our unique curriculum, expertise and experience with Indigenous youth on reserves and in urban centres. Currently, we are working with our partners in the Initiative for Indigenous Futures (IIF) to make our workshops more accessible by training new trainers in order to develop a community of knowledgeable members and mentors. Our curricula are free to use. If you would like support in delivering them to your community, please read through these pages and then contact us.

Participants transform a story into a playable, 3D video game.
Participants transform a story into a short movie shot in a virtual world, with avatars for actors.
Participants are guided in imagining one of their descendants in seven generations.

7th Gen workshops

Workshop NameDurationSpecs/Requirements
7th Gen Character Design (Analog)1-2 session(s) of up to 2 hours eachSoftware
None
Materials
Sketchbook
Pencils/Colored Pencils
Black lining pens (felt tip)
7th Gen Character Design+ (Procreate)2-4  sessions of 2 hours eachSoftware:
Procreate
 
Materials:
iPad with compatible Apple Pencil
Sketchbook
Pencils/Colored Pencils
Black lining pens (felt tip)
7th Gen Character Design++ (Blender)4-7 session(s) of 2 hours eachSoftware:
Blender
Adobe Photoshop (or Photopea)

See tech requirements

Other Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencils/Colored Pencils
Black lining pens (felt tip)
 
Extra:
3D Printed Figurines via Shapeways
7th Gen Tech Design (Blender)3-5 session(s) of 2 hours eachSoftware:
Blender
Adobe Photoshop (or Photopea)

See tech requirements

Other Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencils/Colored Pencils
Black lining pens (felt tip)

Video Game workshops

Workshop NameDurationSpecs/Requirements
Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Bitsy1-4 session(s) of up to 2 hours eachSoftware:
Bitsy
 
Tech Requirements:
Laptop with Wifi Connection
 
Materials:
Pencils
 
Interactive Storytelling with Twine2-4 session(s) of 2 hours eachSoftware:
Twine
 
Tech Requirements:
Laptop with Wi-Fi connection
 
Materials:
Pencils
 
Imagining Indigenous Worlds with Unity4-10 session(s) of 2-3 hours eachSoftware:
Unity
 
See tech requirements
 
Other Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencils/Colored Pencils
Indigenous Video Game ProductionTo be Discussed with Organizers – minimum two weeks, up to four weeks.Software:
Unity
Blender
Plastic Gluon
Slack
Google Drive
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Audition

See tech requirements

Other Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencils/Colored Pencils
Black lining pens (felt tip)
Board Games



Machinima workshops

Workshop NameDurationSpecs/Requirements
Introduction to Second Life1-2 session(s) of 2 hours eachSoftware:
Second Life
 
See tech requirements
Introduction to Machinima2-4 sessions of 2-3 hours eachSoftware:
Second Life
OBS
Premiere Pro

See tech requirements
Machinima Production5-10 sessions of 2-3 hours eachSoftware:
Second Life
OBS
Premiere Pro

 
See tech requirements

Abundant Intelligences (AI)

Workshop NameDurationSpecs/Requirements
Introduction to AI1 session of 2 hoursSoftware:
None
Introduction to AI + Using AI Tools Ethically1 session of 2-3 hoursSoftware:
Midjourney (for Instructors)
ChatGPT

Generously Supported by the Hewitt Foundation, Warner Bros. Discovery Fund, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.