Introducing the Youth Leadership Council
ICA is very excited to tell you about ICA’s inaugural Youth Leadership Council (YLC) and the amazing youth that we have accepted from across our beautiful Indigenous territories to be a part of this team. We had many inspiring candidates that we hope to stay connected with; it is so exciting to see the dedication and work that Indigenous youth are putting back into our communities.
This council aims to direct ICA’s youth program and provide feedback and discourse around ICA’s programming as a whole. We look forward to seeing the ideas that come from youth that are involved with their communities from different regions of so-called canada. We hope that this will enable ICA to provide opportunities and create resources that are needed and made for and by youth. Read more about the members of our council below, and stay tuned to hear about the work that the YLC will take on!
West Coast: Haana Edenshaw
Haana Edenshaw is a member of the Haida nation. She is an indigenous and environmental rights activist. She is one of sixteen youth in the La Rose v Her Majesty The Queen lawsuit, suing the Canadian government for their actions regarding the climate crisis. After a life in or adjacent to the sea, she now lives in the deserts of California at Deep Springs College.
Prairies: Jordan Armstrong
Hi, I’m Jordan Armstrong, I’m from Bloodvein, Manitoba but I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I’m currently a third-year student at the University of Manitoba. I was raised by a single mother who has dedicated her life to the social services sector, and I picked up on many of her values, I’d like to continue in her footsteps as an advocate for Indigenous Youth who haven’t had the same opportunities as I have. I have sat on the youth business panel for the Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce where we have discussed how we can involve indigenous youth in the business sector more effectively, I was also recently a part of the Climate Change Health Adaptation Program Panel with the goal of tackling climate change, increasing capacity and overall quality of life within Canada’s reserves. I’m excited to be a part of the conversation with ICA’s Youth Leadership Council.
Central: Dawn Martin
Dawn Martin (they/she) is a Two-Spirit gender fluid person and member of the Bear Clan, Kanyenkehaka (Ga-nyen-gay-ha-ka) Mohawk Nation at Six Nations Grand River Territory and a citizen of the Rotinonhsyonni (Low-de-noh-shown-knee) Confederacy. Dawn has graduated from Trent University in 2017 with a degree in Indigenous studies and attended Queens University receiving a Bachelor of Education in 2018. Dawn has held many leadership roles and community roles while in university and has brought her knowledges and work back to her community. She is a teacher, learner, and speaker of the Mohawk language, currently studying at Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa Adult Mohawk Immersion Program. They also works with revitalizing traditional planting methods of the Haudenosaunee being a seed-keeper to many varieties of corn, beans and squash. Dawn is passionate about soil health, sustainability, biodiversity and environmental advocacy- fulfilling traditional roles and obligations within their nation to the land, Mother Earth and Creation.
East Coast: Avery Velez
Avery Velez (they/them/nekm) is a queer, trans, chronically ill mixed Mi'kmaw/Portuguese youth from Elmastukwek Ktaqamkuk (the Bay of Islands in Newfoundland). Avery grew up in a family that kept their Mi'kmaw roots a secret and they have spent most of the past twelve years building the foundations for a lifelong journey of (re)connecting to language, culture, and community. Those years started with internal work unpacking shame and re-learning personal and family histories, but quickly became much more.
Once Avery moved to Ottawa for university, the work expanded to include connecting with local Indigenous communities and Indigenous youth and Elders from across so-called canada, including Mi’kma’ki. They learned about drumming and dancing and smudging, but they also learned about kinship, community, and solidarity. Avery spent six years in Ottawa and as the time went on, they moved from studying in a university and working on Indigenous & gender policy for the colonial government to working with a grassroots Indigenous organization and joining up with land protectors, climate activists, and allies to march the streets and (re)occupy the lands government buildings are squatting on.
Today, Avery lives in Nujio’qonik Ktaqamkuk (Bay St. George, Newfoundland) and they have been working on reconnecting directly with their family and community at home, absorbing teachings, practicing the language (even if they only know a dozen words yet), picking blueberries with their nan, and learning to make bear stew.
These years have been a wild ride of discovery, anxiety, anger, grief, hope, love, and a profound sense of home. Grounded at home with their feet in the dirt, Avery is excited to broaden their work again to connect with Indigenous youth across so-called canada and work together to understand and help protect the lands and waters we live with.
North: Jacey Firth-Hagen
Bio and photo coming soon!