'This is Indigenous joy:' 150 Indigenous youth gather in Banff for 'life-saving' retreat

Canadian Roots Exchange (CRE) held its first Indigenous Youth Gathering since 2020 in Banff, Alta. this week, with 150 young people from across the country coming together to experience programming designed by and for Indigenous youth. 

Megan Dicker from Nain, the largest community in Nunatsiavut in Labrador, said being at the gathering left her feeling "really seen and understood." 

"Our voices are so powerful," she said.

"We speak with experience and we speak with truth, and oftentimes decision-making processes that affect us don't have input from us." 

As an Inuk, she said she loves to speak about the North, climate and language. 

"Just the fact that there's ice most of the year, and in my lifetime I've seen it deteriorating with the changing ice conditions," she said.

"I'm driven by my community and to make sure that people know what's going on."

Dicker said the gathering has been a great chance to make friends and appreciate nature, as well as learn more about advocacy and culture.  

Kairyn Potts, a youth advocate and content creator from Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation in Alberta who currently lives in Toronto, was the MC for the four-day event.

Known for his popular TikTok account, Potts said it was great to have "diverse representation of all of the different beautiful and unique nations that exist in Turtle Island or North America."

The highlight for him, Potts said, was a session with an Inuk elder who fed the group caribou meat and Arctic char. They were also able to learn some Inuit Sign Language.

He said he also enjoyed the chance to mentor young people and "hold space" for them by encouraging them to speak out. 

Seeing him as a real person instead of just an influencer helps them realize the impact of their own voices, Potts said.  

"I would love to let Indigenous youth know that even if you whisper, that's still a powerful voice," he said.

Potts said young people often don't see themselves as worth listening to, which he blames on non-Indigenous culture around them. 

"They're experiencing people counting them out, people overlooking them," he said.

"I think them not believing in themselves all the time is a direct result of the issues that we have in Canada because of colonization, because of white supremacy."

Importance of Indigenous-only spaces

In the 2019 budget, the federal government committed $15.2 million over three years for a pilot program to support Indigenous youth reconciliation initiatives through CRE. The pilot program was extended in 2021 by two additional years.

Hillory Tenute, CRE's executive director originally from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation 240 kilometres northwest of Toronto, said over the past several years CRE has shifted its focus from bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth together to a more singular focus on Indigenous youth. 

Creating Indigenous-only spaces is important especially for youth who spend a lot of time in non-Indigenous spaces like schools or work, Tenute said.  

"It's life-saving," Potts said of being surrounded by Indigenous community.

"They feel alone. They feel like there's no one there for them. So being able to come and meet on the land, hug each other, eat food together, play songs, laugh, learn about important things …. This is Indigenous joy." 

Tenute pointed to old laws in the Indian Act which forbade First Nations people from gathering. The act was amended in 1951 to remove the clause that said First Nations people were not allowed to gather in groups of more than three.

With that in mind, Tenute said Indigenous-only gatherings are "a form of resistance, and we're taking back what was taken from our ancestors." 

The CRE gathering in Banff began April 24 and ends April 28.