Aboriginal Youth Strategy

Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak
Young Aboriginal People Leading

In 2007, City Council directed that an Aboriginal Youth Strategy be developed to guide the City's urban Aboriginal agenda during the current term of Council, 2006 to 2010. In April 2008, Council passed a motion to adopt an Aboriginal Youth Strategy that is aimed at increasing Aboriginal youth participation in the overall City system including programs, services and employment.

Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak or Young Aboriginal People Leading is the name given to the Aboriginal Youth Strategy by Elders Jules Lavalee and Mary Richard in a naming ceremony held on August 7, 2009 at Miskobiik Training Centre. The name pays tribute to Aboriginal youth as leaders of today as well as tomorrow. The Elders also advised that the AYS initiative needed to include guiding principles that would direct the work going forward and offered the following:

• Caring – it’s our responsibility to take care of our youth
• Sharing - we take care of youth by sharing our knowledge and information to ensure that youth have access to all the supports and resources that they need to survive in today’s world
• Kindness – we are to treat all of our youth with kindness as youth are dealing with many issues and need all the kindness, gentleness and understanding that they can get
• Truth – we need to be truthful; be real with youth, they know when we are not being honest with them.

Caring, Sharing, Kindness and Truth are the principles that will guide the two-phased approach for the delivery of Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak.
 
Phase 1 is the provision of funding support for 11 community-based employment and employment development projects. Council approved the funding of 10 community based agencies, as recommended by the Aboriginal Partnership Committee, for the delivery of employment and employment development projects for Aboriginal Youth. The total support of these projects is approximately $750,000 annually. Read more about Phase 1

Phase 2 of the Aboriginal Youth Strategy is the provision of Aboriginal youth focused Civic Service Initiatives: Read more about Phase 2