Kwe’ teluisi Avery, n’in Qalipu Mi’kmaq, tleyawi Mi’kma’ki Taqamkuk. My name is Avery (they/them) and I am Qalipu Mi’kmaq from Mi’kmaq territory on the west coast of Newfoundland. I am currently in the process of (re)learning my language, culture, and histories that were lost to colonialism. I live on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin territory in what is now called Ottawa, where I have learned in both colonial and traditional contexts. I have a degree in International Development with a specialization in gender studies and I have learned from kookums and Elders about resurgence, activism, and ceremony.
I joined CRE to fill two roles, the first of which is Northern engagement. I recently travelled to the Arctic and fell in love with the land and people and I am thrilled to be able to focus some of my energies on reaching out to Northern youth and communities to involve them in CRE programming and maybe even develop Northern-specific programming! My second role is helping to facilitate the Indigenous Youth Policy School here in Ottawa. I am a total policy nerd and I am looking forward to guiding other Indigenous youth through learning all the ways we can use policy to effect change.
