Series - The Power of Indigenous Youth Voices

Indigenous youth should lead Canada’s implementation of UNDRIP, experts say

Author Nickie Shobeiry
A policy hackathon hosted by the Canadian Roots Exchange shows what’s possible when youth voices are at the table

Why It Matters

After its initial refusal in 2007, Canada endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People: a piece of legislation impacting everything from resource extraction to land disputes. With Indigenous youth being the future of their communities, it’s vital that UNDRIP be implemented with Indigenous youth policy leaders at the forefront, shaping what future legislation looks like in Canada.

This story is in partnership with CRE (Canadian Roots Exchange).

As an Indigenous youth advocate, Tia Kennedy has sat on a lot of different advisory committees. “(I’ve) had really bad experiences,” she says, sharing an example of one particular committee conducting research about a local Indigenous community.

Canada has a long and problematic history of researching Indigenous communities. From conducting research without permission to focusing on ‘damage-centred research’, which scholar Eve Tuck describes as documenting a community’s pain as opposed to how findings “might be used by, for,

Our social impact coverage and insights enrich thousands of change makers like you everyday. Sign up for a free account with Future of Good to continue reading this series.