Advocacy Week provides Indigenous youth with opportunities to connect with government leaders and policymakers to share their ideas, visions, and priorities on a range of key issues.
This engagement and advocacy allows youth participants to influence how senior government officials make collaborative and informed decisions and co-develop policies and legislation in the future. This is a great opportunity for Indigenous youth to provide insight, voice concerns, and have an impact on federal policies and programs.
Why now?
Policy decisions have impacts far beyond the rooms where they are negotiated and designed, and their repercussions are often felt most by communities who have had limited opportunities to influence those decisions.
MP’s and Senators do not have the same strength of connection to our communities and need to hear our concerns. We know what our communities need.
IYAW Youth Participant
For Indigenous people and communities, some of these repercussions include significant challenges around access to clean drinking water, education and employment support, health-based resources, and much more. Despite the extent of these impacts, Indigenous people and communities are infrequently and inconsistently consulted on policy decisions. For Indigenous youth, in particular, there are huge gaps in the ways they are consulted, considering their role as the current and future leaders of our communities.
As we consider how we are collaborating to vision a better future, it is important to amplify and create space for Indigenous youth to learn, grow, and guide the policy decisions that will impact them, their families, and future generations.
Advocacy Week not only provides space for Indigenous youth to meet with government officials, but to do so confidently and well-equipped with lessons they learn from capacity-building sessions, mentorship, and networking opportunities they will engage in during the program. These sessions provide guidance on solidarity and anti-racism and equip youth with the skills to meaningfully engage with elected officials and senior policymakers in a way that emphasizes the need for policies that reflect the diverse and intersectional needs of Indigenous communities.
Now recruiting for Fall 2023!
What to look forward to
- Connect with like-minded Indigenous youth
- Amplify Indigenous youth voices
- Advocate for youth priorities
- Access to multiple capacity-building sessions
- An invitation to join CRE’s Policy Alumni Network following the completion of the program
- Youth will receive a $600.00 honorarium for participating in the program, as well as a $25.00 meal stipend during relevant capacity-building sessions and the closing engagement (for a total of $125.00 meal stipend).
Eligibility
- Identify as Indigenous (First Nation, Metis, and/or Inuit)
- Age 18-29 at the time of the program
- Available for 4 capacity-building sessions Wednesday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET between 25/10/2023-15/11/2023
- Available for the Advocacy Week sessions (in 30-45 minutes slots) primarily between 20/11/2023-30/11/2023 (specific times will be confirmed closer to the event).
- You will be attending at least 2-3 meetings each between the hours of 11:00-5:00 PM ET throughout those dates. Calendar invites will be sent as soon as they are confirmed. *If any meetings must fall outside of those times, we will let you know in advance.
- Available for a closing engagement Wednesday, December 6th in the evening (ET).
Application form
Please complete the application below. If you require any support or alternate methods of completing this form, please reach out to sasha@canadianroots.ca
Past reports
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