IYR Explains: Indigenous Youth Building Vibrant, Connected Communities

At a Glance

• June is National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month – and for this edition of IYR Explains, we wanted to celebrate the vibrant communities that Indigenous youth have defined for themselves and highlighting the ways these communities support Indigenous youth in all their diversity and affirm their identities.   
• We’ll also be including some of what we heard in our Indigenous Youth Reconciliation Barometer 2024: Building Connected Futures survey responses about what community means to Indigenous youth, how their communities support them and their identities, and what they envision for the future of their communities.   
• Through the Barometer 2024, we engaged with 1,125 Indigenous youth from coast-to-coast-to-coast through an online survey and sharing circles to better understand how youth envision their futures, and their communities’ futures, through themes like culture, wellness, education, meaningful work, reconciliation and solidarity.  You can read the full report here!  
• Research like this creates space for youth to connect with each other while and ensures that the way they connect to, conceptualize, and protect their communities can shape policy, research, and advocacy at all levels.  
• For IYR, developing this understanding allows us to ensure that the work that we do is relevant to the Indigenous youth that we serve, and helps us to engage youth in policy, research and advocacy work that will drive meaningful change for Indigenous youth and their communities.  
• To Indigenous youth, community looks like many different things and is not always place-based.  Indigenous youth are a part of many intersecting communities that help affirm the different aspects of their identities.  
• Indigenous youth are envisioning futures where they and future generations are deeply connected to their cultures and the communities they a part of – and are leading the way in making the changes they want to see.  

Read Our Report

Further Reading

• Indigenous Youth Reconciliation Barometer 2024: Building Connected Futures 
• Ottawa’s Arsaniq Drop-in Centre A Safe Space for Queer Urban Inuit
• Newlywed Indigenous Couple Travels to Cree communities to Destigmatize Queer Love, Teach Sexual Health
• National Association of Friendship Circles (NAFC) Gender-Based Analysis Toolkit
• Being Two-Spirit and Trans in Canada: How Colonization Shaped the Way We View Gender Diversity 
• North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre Help Youth Battle Mental Health Challenges
• How Friendship Centres Support, Heal and Connect Urban Indigenous People
• A Culture Not Lost But Disconnected
• Gwich’in Student Says Graduating with Law Degree ‘Most Significant Moment’ In Her Life
• Born into a Treaty and Raised on Resistance: Cree Youth Mark 50 Years of the James Bay Treaty at the UN
• Indigenous Youth Prepare for Big Dance Showcase in Brant County
• Indigenous Youth Participation in Sports Important, says Kikino Hockey Player
• Law student, Elected Chief and Indspire Award Winner, No Doubt Tréchelle Bunn Had a Big Year
• Local Youth Brought ‘Brilliant’ Insight to Canada’s UNDRIP Plan, Organizer Says
• Winnipeg Powwow Club Hopes to Expand Cultural Programming in the New Year
• Indigenous Youth and Elders Join Forces at Digital Storytelling Workshop