Upholding the rights of Indigenous children

 

As part of Indigenous History Month, we are excited to share a collection of stories and perspectives from some of the Indigenous people that we work with across Turtle Island. These stories come from people who are implementing projects that protect and uphold the rights of Indigenous children in the face of multiple crises and continued discrimination. This month, we hope to celebrate the contributions and resilience of the Indigenous people, communities and nations.

Danyelle, Cat Lake First Nation

Danyelle is a child and family prevention liaison with the Cat Lake First Nation. For the past five years she has worked with children and families in the remote community to provide support and services for young people. The Ojibway community which is 400 km north of Thunder Bay has seen several extended crises over recent years, through which Danyelle sought to bring new programs to the community to support the youth.

Danyelle led the development of a project that supported Cat Lake children in expressing themselves, their thoughts and feelings, through lyric writing, musical creativity and singing. The project was designed to help young people build resilience and emotional wellbeing, while amplifying their voices, stories and perspectives.

“This workshop was amazing. On the first day, all the kids were quiet and shy, and by the last day we were all laughing together,” said Danyelle. As part of the project, the children created a music video that has since had thousands of views on YouTube.

“I know I couldn’t have done what they did, standing in front of the camera and singing for the first time. I am so proud of what the kids accomplished. And, now, Cat Lake and the youth can say, ‘We have a song on YouTube, check it out.’ Cat Lake has something to be proud of,” added Danyelle. (click image below to view the video)

Rodney, Grassy Narrows First Nation, Ontario

Rodney is the team lead of the Aakozi’ma’gut Nii’maa’ma’anun program at Kenora Chiefs Advisory. This program investigates how climate change is affecting children and young people across nine communities in the Treaty 3 area, the project name translates to “mother earth is sick”.

Rodney’s hard work and commitment to sharing youth perspectives has kept this important program running while the region has grappled with COVID-19 lockdowns, floods and wildfires.

“The biggest challenge in the communities is living with inconsistency due to Climate Change. There is no guarantee that the weather patterns won’t impact their livelihood or wellbeing. These impacts have been directed towards economy, harvesting, infrastructure and ways of life. Through our project, we help identify these issues through concept mapping, community stories, experiences and statements,” said Rodney.

Rodney’s work is showcased in the following video, here:

Both of the projects profiled are generously supported by GSK.