A Victoria-based communications company says they are modernizing the distribution of information within Indigenous communities across the country by offering a centralized and secure information-distribution system that can reach on- and off-reserve community members with an app tailored to each community.
Led by partners Laurel Anne Stark, founder of Victoria's Remarkable Communications, and Darrell Brertton Jr., a young leader from Saddle Lake Cree Nation who has worked to close the communication gap between administration and membership for Indigenous communities, Communikit offer custom apps built for the community it will serve, then made available for download by Nation membership where important community updates are never more than a tap away.
Stark explained that the company creates an app that is named after the individual community and can be downloaded on the App Store or the Google Play Store. Users turn on notifications and as soon as administrators or the Communikit team pushes out a communication – like notes from a leadership meeting, a new service being rolled out, or an emergency alert – each app user will be immediately notified on their phone.
"It cuts through all the noise of social feeds and emails, because we all get too many of those, and just gives immediate updates to all members, whether they're on or off reserve," she said.
Communikit recently partnered with Stark's Remarkable Communications, which is the company's first reseller, as they already provide social media support, website design, audio and video production services, and other communication support to Indigenous-led organizations across Canada.
“Communikit relies on the presence of a website as a source of news to keep the app updated. A lot of the communities we work with tell us they want the app but don’t have a website, so partnering with Remarkable Communications just makes sense to ensure we can serve as many communities as possible. We’re excited to continue to grow and innovate to solve the problems of our Indigenous communities," noted Brertton Jr. in a news release.
Currently, Communikit apps serve over 100 Indigenous communities across Canada, and they only expect to see more growth in the future.
"I was speaking with Darrell last month, and he had like 16 new communities that he was rolling out over a two-month period. So it's got incredible traction, which is so exciting," said Stark.
