Kim Meshake, Aroland First Nation, 22

NAN youth tending a sacred fire

The NAN Decade for Youth & Development program was officially launched at the NAN Youth Leadership Forum held in November 2002 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. A sacred fire was lit and tended by youth participants during the four day event. It was the first ever NAN-wide youth gathering. The Decade for Youth & Development was declared by NAN Chiefs in 2000 as a proactive response to the suicide crisis.

Suicide Crisis

On November 23, 1997 a 15 year old girl named Selena hanged herself in her bedroom. An empty hairspray bottle was found in her room, and there were numerous writings on the back of her door in magic marker, stark indications of her distress, anger and frustration with life.  Unfortunately this is not an uncommon occurence in remote First Nations communities today.  The suicide crisis in NAN has become a social epidemic that has touched every family and community in NAN.

A Coroner's inquest was held into the death of this girl and it endorsed the recommendations from the NAN Youth Forum on Suicide plus made 40 additional recommendations.  NAN in 2000 declared the next 10 years as the "Decade for Youth & Development" and planned to undertake a number of activities:

• youth councils
• youth achievement recognition
• youth leadership training
• youth entrepreneurship program
• youth recreation program
• education, training and career development programs
• peer counselling
• policy of zero tolerance for sexual abuse
• improvement of living conditions in NAN First Nations

In an effort to accomplish these goals we at the Decade office lobby on behalf of NAN member youth. At the heart of a positive youth development approach is inclusion of young people. Youth must be treated and viewed as an invaluable part of NAN society. To accomplish this goal, to date, the Decade for Youth & Development Office has:

• Hosted the "Changing the World in a Decade Youth Leadership Forum" in November of 2002, bringing together over 65 youth from 30 different communities for a four-day youth empowerment conference.
• Established the NAN-wide Decade Youth Council, featuring ten chairs with individual portfolios.
• Conducted and published results of the Portrait of a Generation youth survey which was completed by 535 NAN youth. The results are featured in the Portrait of Generation glossy magazine.
• Hosted workshops in various communities designed to establish local youth councils and developed the interactive Youth Councils Toolkit, which was distributed to all NAN communities.
• Via the NAN Recreation Subcommittee sponsored two calls for proposals in 2004, funding many community-based youth projects across NAN.
• Partnered with the Intergovernment Committee on Aboriginal Youth Suicide to produce a ten-minute video production on Aboriginal youth suicide entitled, "Mishkeegogamang Youth & Elders Gathering."
• Established the annual NAN Decade Youth Awards handed out annually at the Keewaywin Chiefs Assembly.