United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) 2024 Incomindios Youth Scholarship Team Webinar Event Recap
Dayana Blanco Quiroga (Aymara, Bolivia), Brenda Saloj (Maya Kaqchikel, Guatemala), Crystal Lewis (Squamish, Canada), Daanis Pelletier (Anishinaabe, Canada), Cassandra Spade (Anishinaabe, Canada). L-R
On June 6th, Incomindios hosted its UNPFII Youth Scholarship webinar, in which three delegates reflected on their experiences at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) 2024. The delegates, Crystal Lewis (Squamish, Canada), Cassandra Spade (Anishnaabe, Canada), and Daanis Pelletier (Anishnaabe, Canada), each spoke about the life-changing nature of representing their communities and using their voice within an international forum. With additional comments from Phillippe Jeunet (Political Counselor at the Embassy of Canada and Switzerland), Dr. Alicia Kroemer (Incomindios), and Julian Han (National Geographic), the event brimmed with insight into the inspiring work of the delegates and the whole Incomindios UNPFII team.
Mr. Phillipe Genest (Political Counselor at the Embassy of Canada and Switzerland) to commence the webinar. Mr. Genest spoke specifically to the delegates, quoting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2023 remark, “Indigenous youth have the immense potential to shape a better and fairer world”. This powerful reminder set the stage for the rest of the evening as the delegates reflected on how they are shaping a better and fairer world.
Incomindios UN Youth Delegate Cassandra Spade (Anishinaabe, Canada)
The first to reflect on her experience at UNPFII was Cassandra Spade (Anishinaabe, Canada). As the Indigenous Mentor for this year’s Incomindios team, Cassandra, or Cass, was one of the inaugural Incomindios UN Youth Scholarship recipients in 2019. Her invaluable presence at UNPFII 2024 allowed for a smoother, less daunting experience for the other delegates. Cass related that while her first experience at UNPFII in 2019 was “a bit overwhelming,” it gave her specific insight into how to support this year’s delegates best. She told of how UNPFII 2019 propelled her into her current activism, which revolves around Indigenous language preservation and Indigenous legal orders. Her organization, Gaa-Minwaajindizowaaj, or Northern Voices, provides Anishinaabe language and cultural programming. Additionally, she is studying law at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.
Here are some stand-out quotes from Cass’ reflection:
On going to the UNPFII a second time:
“The second time around I had a strategy. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to take the floor. I wanted to advocate for Indigenous Language Preservation. And so I was able to strategize with Dr.-Chief Wilton Littlechild and talk about this idea about a convention on Indigenous languages. So we were able to table it on the floor or read it on the floor and advocate for this kind of legal mechanism to advocate for stronger protections, not just funding, but ways our Indigenous languages can become accessible to us in our home communities.”
On Indigenous legal orders vs. the Canadian legal system:
“When we think about the Canadian legal system, it’s very much a centralized legal system. It thinks in one way, in a very codified way. But Indigenous women carry Indigenous legal orders, and they start to challenge the way we think about laws.”
Incomindios UN Youth Delegate Crystal Lewis (Squamish, Canada)
Crystal Lewis (Squamish, Canada) presented next. To start her reflection, she shared a little bit about her journey to activism. As someone who spent the majority of her adolescence in the Canadian foster system, Crystal related how her childhood fueled her desire to become an activist both within her community and on an international scale. Crystal shared her experiences working at all levels of government, where she continues to advocate for climate action, social justice, cultural revitalization, and youth welfare. At UNPFII 2024, Crystal advocated for better protections for children in the foster system, implementation of human-trafficking prevention training and cultural safety training for both Indigenous people and those working within their communities, as well as for an independent body of Indigenous representatives that would function similarly to the UN.
Here are some stand-out quotes from Crystal’s reflection:
On those who have supported her journey:
“I wouldn’t be here, where I am today, [without] the people who actually said yes to me and believed in my vision and journey like Incomindios has. I don’t take that lightly, I honor that.”
On how her youth influenced her activism:
“Growing up I didn’t have a voice, so challenging myself to be involved in my community and figuring out ways to help my community as well by leading through example...I believe you can’t wait for others to make changes for you. You yourself, you need to be the change maker, and so following those values is what inspired me to keep going, to learn and challenge myself.”
Incomindios UN Youth Delegate Daanis Pelletier (Anishinaabe, Canada)
The final delegate to speak was Daanis Pelletier (Anishinaabe, Canada). Daanis’ advocacy centers around the resurgence of Indigenous knowledge systems, as evidenced by her work as a traditional sugar busher. She has also spent time connecting to Indigenous communities worldwide, including a recent trip to Aotearoa (New Zealand). She began her reflection by sharing that she aims to “uphold all voices”, including the voices of varying ages and those of the natural world. Daanis related that while initially, she did not know what to expect at UNPFII, having the support of the Incomindios team reassured her. Her goal at UNPFII 2024 was to immerse herself in its systems and procedures as a way to help her decide what to focus her activism on in the future.
Here are some stand-out quotes from Daanis’ reflection:
On upholding all voices:
“Since I was about eight years old, I’ve been participating in sugar bushing in my community. I was taught in that community [that] the land has its own voice, the trees tell us when they’re ready to be tapped, youth have a voice, and everyone’s voices [are] heard. So when it comes to the work that I do, it’s upholding all voices and respecting all voices as well.”
On Indigenous youth:
“For Indigenous youth, I think it’s very important for our voices to be heard and that was definitely pointed out at the UN. Something that really stuck with me there was hearing people saying that Indigenous Youth are not only the future, but we are the now. That has really encouraged me to go forward and push for Indigenous youth voices to be heard when it comes to determining our own choices, like self-determination...once again all voices need to be heard in these discussions, we have the right to determine our own futures, so that is something that really stuck with me at the UN.”
Source: UNPFII logo - United Nations website: https://unpfii.desa.un.org/about-unpfii
To close the webinar, the delegates answered questions the audience had asked via the chat feature. Read some of their responses below:
Question for Crystal:
How has the UNPFII experience and scholarship scheme supported your work?
Crystal’s response:
“I think, first and foremost, as someone who is just starting out in advocacy and policy, not only was going to the UN really helpful for me, but it also taught me a lot about working with others and being able to step outside of my community. All I did essentially was listen to the Ancestors and Elders. A teaching that was given to me when I was younger was, “No matter where you go, you’re always representing your people, where you come from, and your family.” I know I’m very privileged to go to these spaces [like the UN], and to be able to share some of the challenges that my communities face...I go in with an open mind, knowing I can learn from so many people from all around the world. It has given me so much perspective on myself and my journey. The UN has opened a lot of doors for me; it’s given me experience. I want to be a voice for youth who haven’t always been represented at the table, specifically Indigenous youth...I have lots of hope, because I know there is someone out there that will have some of the solutions that I don’t have.”
Question for Cass:
What did this scholarship do for you, and presuming it was important to you, can you express why it would be important to others?
Cass’ response:
“I went to the UN in 2019. It was my first year engaging in any international legal body. Very overwhelming. I think, I don’t know if it was necessarily meant to be very accessible, and it was something that took me a long time to learn about. So, I started to become inspired to learn about more legal orders and laws whether that be international, domestic, or Indigenous laws. It really was a contributing factor in my decision to go to law school so I can create a more accessible avenue to these international mechanisms for my home community, and engage with that other layer of language. For example, my grandmother I talked about, didn’t speak English, and so how would she understand what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada is as it fits into UNDRIP means? It was really about removing barriers to justice, law, and community for my home. This scholarship did everything for me. It cheers me and when I’m getting down and think, “I can’t do this,” I think of the giant international community I’m part of, and the Incomindios team, I know I can always message them and the other Indigenous delegates and say, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” They’re always there to help me. I think this scholarship is so important for Indigenous youth. It really gives them an avenue to get to the UN which is so inaccessible in a lot of ways. I’d really encourage other non-governmental organizations or other governmental organizations to invest in youth, and create more scholarships. I bow down to Incomindios, is what I’m saying.”
Question for Daanis:
What are you hoping to do professionally after your studies? What additional support do you think is needed for Indigenous students to succeed further?
Daanis’ answer:
“After my studies, I hope to continue with school. After my undergrad, I want to do a Masters and a PhD eventually. Overall, I want to be a teacher or professor, whether it’s in an institution, a university, or within my community. I’d like to give back to my community that way by being a teacher for youth. Another thing I’m hoping to focus on is in the academic world, Indigenous philosophy isn’t recognized, so working towards having recognition of Indigenous philosophy. I think Indigenous youth, when it comes to support, it’s supporting their goals and dreams. Every Indigenous youth I’ve spoken with has a dream, a goal, or an idea of what they want to do in their future, but they just don’t believe they can achieve it. So having those support systems...family, friends, schools, the community itself to get to that goal and reach that goal. Believing that they can achieve what they want to achieve.”
To find out more about these wonderful delegates’ experience at UNPFII, please see our blog post UNPFII "Enhancing Indigenous Peoples right to self-determination in the context of UNDRIP: emphasising the voices of Indigenous youth" UN Headquarters, New York. April 14-26, 2024.
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