CRE’s flagship program, the Youth Reconciliation Initiative (YRI) leadership program, has placed youth at the forefront of reconciliation work since 2012. The YRI builds the capacity of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to envision and realize their versions of reconciliation at a local, regional, and national level. We believe that supporting youth uplifts the community as a whole. Throughout the 8-month program, youth leaders (ages 18-29) will take part in an in-depth training building their skills and confidence to lead programming in their home communities. CRE staff provides ongoing mentorship and opportunities to connect with youth leaders across the country. Funding will be provided to help turn ideas into action, from local workshops, film screenings, panel discussions and more – youth take and make space for reconciliation.
From September to March, the YRI organize events for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in their community to discuss what reconciliation means to them, with the recognition that “reconciliation” looks very different between generations and across the country.
CRE Youth Leaders dedicate 10-15 hrs a month to the planning, coordination and delivery of workshops, events and programming in their communities, including intergenerational talking circles, film screenings highlighting Indigenous voices and filmmakers, and workshops on topics such as Treaty Rights, the History of Colonization, and Solidarity between Newcomers and Indigenous peoples.
Join us in taking up the challenge of reconciliation.
National (YRI)
This program engages young leaders located in urban centres across Canada, ages 18 to 29, from across the country, building a national network of young leaders realizing their own transformative visions of community building and reconciliation. The National YRI is designed to develop relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth seeking to build community and deliver reconciliation based programming in their communities. Youth Leaders will deliver programming designed to start conversations in their city on reconciliation.
Join the National YRI in one of two ways:
- Apply as an individual and join a team if you live in one of the following cities: Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Montreal
- If you live in an urban centre, apply as a team of 2-6 people and get training, funding and support to mobilize your community!
NYRI Eligibility Checklist:
- I am between 18 and 29 years of age;
- I am a permanent resident or citizen of Canada or have Refugee status (a requirement of the project funder);
- I am excited to work in a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth;
- I can dedicate approximately 7-10 hours of volunteer work per month between August 2020 and April 2021 to develop and deliver community programming;
- I am motivated to challenge myself and others to learn more about diverse Indigenous histories, cultures and topics as well as the realities of non-Indigenous communities in Canada;
- I want to dispel harmful stereotypes and myths that divide communities on these lands;
- I am comfortable facilitating workshops, giving presentations, and organizing activities with youth in my region and would like to improve my skills in these areas;
- I identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis OR I have some knowledge about First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in my region, with a strong interest in learning more;
- I am available to attend weekly digital trainings from August 24 to Sept 25, 2020.
- If selected, I take full responsibility to obtain and submit a Vulnerable Sector Check prior to the training (expenses covered by CRE);
For Coordinator Cities (Saskatoon, Toronto, Montreal, Thunder Bay):
- I can commit to delivering 2 workshops and organizing 1 community event with my team from October 2020 – April 2021, with the possibility of a in-person gathering in 2021 (COVID-dependant)
Rural (YRI)
This is a new initiative launched in recognition of the unique realities of rural, remote and northern communities. The Rural YRI was launched to create and uplift dialogue in regions of the country that do not have access to the same tools and resources as larger city centres.
The Rural YRI program allows for discussions around reconciliation to take place between Indigenous youth living on and off reserves in rural areas as well as non-Indigenous people in the surrounding communities. It also focuses on the implementation of on the ground reconciliatory action.
RYRI Eligibility Checklist:
- I am between 18 and 29 years of age;
- I am a permanent resident or citizen of Canada or have Refugee status (a requirement of the project funder);
- I confirm that I will be living in a community that is rural, remote, Northern or on Reserve.
- I am excited to work in a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth;
- I can dedicate approximately 7-10 hours of volunteer work per month between August 2020 and April 2021 to develop and deliver community programming;
- I am motivated to challenge myself and others to learn more about diverse Indigenous histories, cultures and topics as well as the realities of non-Indigenous communities in Canada;
- I want to dispel harmful stereotypes and myths that divide communities on these lands;
- I am comfortable facilitating workshops, giving presentations, and organizing activities with youth in my region and would like to improve my skills in these areas;
- I identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis OR I have some knowledge about First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in my region, with a strong interest in learning more;
- I am available to attend weekly digital training from August 24 to Sept 25, 2020.
- If selected, I take full responsibility to obtain and submit a Vulnerable Sector Check prior to the training (expenses covered by CRE)
COMING SOON: Themed (YRI): Black-Indigenous Solidarity Project
Modelled and inspired by the 8th Fire video series, this project seeks to produce a series of educational videos documenting the histories of Black and Indigenous peoples across Canada. Youth leaders (ages 18-29) who identify as Black and/or Indigenous from across the country can apply to participate in a 12-week program (Oct – Feb) unpacking history and untold stories of Black Canada. The program will allow participants to develop tools and skills for practicing solidarity and paving a new way forward. Through a series of workshops and skill-building sessions, Youth Leaders will gain both knowledge about Canada and its relationship to Black and Indigenous realities. The educational videos developed will then be released to the public for Black History Month (Feb 2021).