On August 6th, 2020 the First Nations Public Service Secretariat (FNPSS) will host a virtual roundtable event for youth leaders across the province to discuss their path forward in community leadership.
As Indigenous youth represent one of the fastest growing populations in the country, there exists a vast potential for their influence across numerous sectors that have direct impact on the lived realities of Indigenous Peoples and communities. While that impact is felt currently through the work of grassroots youth leadership and self-organization, there continues to be more work to be done to create and hold space within formal institutions and mechanisms for youth to actualize their ideas and participate in the sociopolitical functions that guide our lives as citizens of First Nations communities.
This strategic planning session will be prepared, led, and driven by youth leaders, with the support of the FNPSS team. The planning session will be centered around an engagement strategy to ensure Indigenous youth are represented and included in FNPSS future activities in a meaningful way. This first conversation will be centered on bringing together youth voices from across the province to provide input on existing activities and programming, their involvement with FNPSS and governance in their own communities, identify what barriers exist to active participation in governance and leadership, and what tools and resources may be needed to address those barriers. Other topics may vary based on the concerns and priorities of the participants.
It is essential that youth are included in issues that affect them, and that inclusion be more than symbolic. This roundtable is to be the first step in a greater effort to build and hold those spaces for youth to allow for self-determination in action and opportunities for long-term planning.
For more information or to find out how to get youth in your community involved, please contact info@fnps.ca
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