About Rize Skill Training
A family business
from East Van.
We believe digital fluency is essential for the survival of Black and Indigenous communities. So we teach it, we build it, and we hand it over.
Every community ready for what comes next.
The communities left out of every wave of technology so far should not be left out of this one. We teach the skills people actually need, build the websites and systems they own, and bring the learning into the places they already trust.
Mission
People first. Tech second.
We put real digital skills in the hands of the people doing good work in our communities. We teach in plain language, we build the systems that give people their time back, and we make sure you can run them yourself.
The websites we build help pay for the community courses grants don’t cover.
Our goal is for Black and Indigenous communities, and every community with the most to gain from technology, to have the skills, the systems, and a say in how technology gets used.
Our story
The work behind the work.
Technology has always been personal for us. East Van runs on music, community, and the belief that self-expression can change things.
Rize was founded by Max Harris, an AI specialist and educator with roots in the music and arts communities that make this city what it is. He spent over twenty years building digital systems for technology companies across North America, from early startups to enterprise teams, and teaching became as central to the work as building. He lives and works in East Vancouver, in a family with deep Indigenous community ties.
After twenty years, the most useful things we teach are not tools: where to look, who to ask, and when to slow down. So the teaching starts where you are. You already tap to pay and text your family, and we build on that.
Technology should answer to the people using it.
- The right tool is often the one you already have, and we start there.
- We use AI where it gives you a real hour back, and we tell you where it falls short.
- Your data stays yours, and you decide what runs in your work.
20+
Years building digital systems
10+
Years teaching technology
100+
Websites and web projects
People
Who we serve.
Black and Indigenous communities first: that is the reason we exist. We work with the people and organizations holding those communities together across Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver area, and with everyone else who has the most to gain from technology and the least support with it.
Seniors
Families
Newcomers
Working People
Nonprofits
Small Business
Artists
Being underserved does not mean being unable. It means the support has not reached you yet, and that is the gap we work in.
Principles
How we move.
People First
Technology is the tool. People are the point.
Plain Language
We use everyday words and go one step at a time, so everyone leaves feeling capable.
Honest About Tech
We say what a tool is good for, what it costs, and who it was built for. You decide what to use.
Rooted in East Van
We work through the organizations people already trust, and we show up in person.
You Own It
Your domain, your accounts, your passwords, and your skills, all in your name. We hand it over and show you how to use it.
Radical, from the Root
Radical means root. We start with the communities that have the most to gain and the least support, Black and Indigenous communities first, and we say so out loud.
Values in the work. We check that a partner’s values line up with ours before we start and inside the work itself. Every project we take serves the community it says it serves.
Partnerships
Courses we run with community organizations.
Our courses are built to run as partnerships: a funder, a community organization, and us, working toward the same goal. We bring the course to your space, plan it with your team, and help you find the funding.
If your organization has ten or more people on staff and wants help with its own website and tools, that is Digital Transformation, a service we do for you.
Land acknowledgement
We are grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the Musqueam (opens in a new tab), Squamish (opens in a new tab), and Tsleil-Waututh (opens in a new tab) Nations.
We are committed to programs that serve Indigenous communities and to the ongoing work of reconciliation in digital education.
Where We Work
We are based in East Vancouver and we work across Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver area: in person for workshops and partnerships, online for everything else.
Holler at us
We All Rize.
Whether you want to learn, build a website, or partner with us, the first call is free.
Questions.
Who does Rize work with?
Families, seniors and Elders, newcomers, working people, nonprofits and community organizations, and small businesses and artists. Black and Indigenous communities come first, and everyone is welcome.
Where do you work?
We are based in East Vancouver and we work across Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver area. Workshops and partnerships happen in person, and everything else happens online.
What does a first call cost?
Nothing. The first call is free and takes about twenty minutes.
Who owns the work?
You do. The domain, the pages, and the accounts are all in your name. If we part ways, everything stays with you.