Dieter Braun, is the founder of Advancing Nations and is a Cree educator, communicator, musician and independent researcher who has spent more than two decades exploring the changing relationship between people, technology and the world around them.
Dieter holds two degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, a Bachelor of Food Science and Master of Business Administration. His journey as an educator began in Saskatchewan, where he taught at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and First Nations University of Canada in Saskatoon. He also taught on reserve in Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan, where he taught the first two years of the University of Saskatchewan Commerce program. As well, he served as a student counsellor for Aboriginal students at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Commerce.
Following his early teaching career, Dieter embarked on a profound personal and spiritual journey that would shape his perspective and influence the work he would pursue for the next 23 years.
Since then, he has continued teaching independently through blogs, websites, social media and other online platforms, sharing ideas with audiences around the world. Through all of these experiences, one belief has remained at the heart of his work:
Learning should empower people to become better versions of themselves — giving them the awareness, confidence and ability to make conscious choices and serve a higher purpose.
Why Advancing Nations?
Over the past two decades, Dieter has watched technology move from something we consciously chose to use into something increasingly woven into almost every part of everyday life.
Smartphones, social media, artificial intelligence, wireless technology, digital platforms, new food technologies and countless other innovations are changing how we communicate, learn, work, eat, socialize and understand ourselves.
But technology is advancing faster than most people can comprehend its broader effects.
Dieter believes that people need an opportunity to step back from the constant stream of technological change and look at the bigger picture.
That is the purpose of Advancing Nations.
Through engaging presentations and thought-provoking questions, Dieter helps students and communities examine the technologies they already use, recognize what may be happening beneath the surface, and become more aware of the potential risks, influences and consequences that often go unnoticed.
The goal isn’t to fear technology or reject progress.
It’s to understand what we’re using — so we can make conscious choices and rise above the machine.
Beyond Education
Dieter’s work has always extended beyond the traditional classroom.
He is also an international drum carrier, musician, drum builder and recording artist, bringing creativity, storytelling and a lifelong passion for learning into his work.
His creative work is also known internationally under the name Indian in the machine, reflecting another dimension of his artistic and spiritual journey.
Whether teaching in a classroom, sharing ideas online, carrying a drum, building instruments or standing in front of a community, Dieter’s underlying purpose remains the same:
To awaken curiosity.
To encourage people to question.
And to empower people to see the bigger picture.
This is Advancing Nations.
Helping people understand the world they’re living in — and giving them the awareness to help shape the world that’s is already here.