But first, let’s break down the “why” for honorariums.

To best understand honorariums, we must start by explaining “reciprocity” and what it means from an Indigenous perspective.

We give honorariums as a way to practice reciprocity/be reciprocal.

When I googled definitions of reciprocity, I saw a lot about mutual exchange, and in the event one side is giving more than the other, it is implied that the party receiving more will give more back in the future.

Being reciprocal from an Indigenous perspective is not quite like that. It’s focused on giving without expecting anything in return; not mutual exchange.

It’s a belief that by giving, we will be paid back more in some other way, kind of like karma. If we give now, some way, somehow, we will be paid back in the future.

Sometimes, we are paid back more from the party we gave something to, because they wanted to repay the favour, but this is not the expectation.

Reciprocity is a traditional value, and we have stories, teachings, and agreements about being reciprocal. One of my favourites is the One Dish, One Spoon teaching. (Click the link for a teaching from Richard Hill, Haudenosaunee Knowledge Keeper).

Being reciprocal is a guiding principle for many Indigenous-led organizations, companies, and institutions, because it’s part of our traditions. Frayed Feathers (FF) included.

For example, FF has a reciprocal business model. I write this newsletter, daily LinkedIn posts, record podcasts, and have developed the Advocate’s Guide to Youth Reconciliation.

All these things are free, and I don’t expect anything in return for creating this content. But I know that some people who connect with the content and see value in my ideas will reach out to hire FF.

My goal is to build trust with the people I want to work with, and the best way to do that is by being reciprocal and giving them as much value as possible with no conditions.

The truth is, I give away all my secrets because I want people to use my resources to better support young Indigenous people.

The other truth is that some people would love to implement all the ideas found in my resources, but they’re extremely busy and don’t have much experience with this stuff.

So, they see my passion to provide high-quality information and are happy to hire me to implement it for them. That’s the nature of being reciprocal.

In a traditional context, being reciprocal may look like offering a pouch of tobacco to an Elder when asking something of them.

For example, if I were to ask an Elder to do an opening, pray for me, or offer a spirit name, I would always give them the tobacco before they answered.

My gift to them is theirs, no matter their answer. Even if they say no, this reciprocal action will show that I value them because I’ve given them a gift with no expectations.

Now, let’s tie this back to honorariums for young Indigenous people.

What is an Honorarium

Honorariums are gifts that we offer people who are not employed by us.

The gift may include cash, time, education, accommodations, etc. It can be anything, but today's focus is cash for young Indigenous people (YIP). 💵💵

Reciprocity can include non-financial forms like mentorship, connections, and learning opportunities, but these never replace fair payment.

Cash comes first, then all the other forms are added as a bonus.

When to Use Honorariums

Some examples may include:

1. Speaking or Presenting

2. Participating in Consultations or Feedback Sessions

3. Contributing Cultural or Creative Work

4. Leadership and Advisory Roles

5. Time-Intensive Commitments

For example, Indigenous Youth Roots engaged 1,125 YIPs in sharing circles to inform the 2024 Barometer; they offered $150 honorarium for each participant.

Why Cash?

Cash allows them to spend it based on their priorities, like food, bills, savings, travel, etc.

Giving cash shows trust in a young person’s ability to manage compensation.

Cash avoids the limitations of gift cards, which may not be accessible or useful. Someone may get a card to a grocery store or restaurant that is not local to them.

I disagree with the common practice of controlling YIPs’ spending habits with gift cards. I think it sends the message that we don’t trust them, which is not how to build strong relationships.

As someone who’s worked with youth for 13 years, I have full confidence in young people’s resourcefulness to get what they want, regardless of income.

I recognize there is a risk in providing vulnerable young people cash, but I’d rather them get money from me than some other unsafe method like stealing or prostitution.

Price Ranges

From my understanding, there is no standard honorarium total. I typically see $25 - $50 for most one-hour-long sessions, but we must consider more than time.

Think of YIPs as consultants, and the more work they must do, the more honorarium we must provide.

Please see this list of considerations that contribute to pricing:

• Prep time

• Expertise

• Emotional Labour

• Knowledge Delivery

• Post-Session Time

• Industry Rates

• What Else We Offer (food, accommodations, mentorship, training, networking)

The table below is a starting point, and I encourage readers to talk with their local youth-serving organizations to get a strong idea of the going rate in your communities.

If the type of engagement you are running is not in this table, please reach out to me via email or LinkedIn, and I’ll be happy to provide a quote for your engagement.

These ranges are admittedly on the higher end of industry standards. My philosophy is not to be the fastest or the cheapest; it’s to be the best at youth reconciliation, so I offer higher ranges.

Administering Honorariums

Now the fun part, giving young people that cash shmoney!

Giving honorariums at an in-person event is straightforward because we can see the participants and usually have created a list of clear candidates for the honorarium.

I recommend packaging the honorarium in an envelope or gift bag, not just handing over the money, as it feels a bit impersonal, and honorariums are meant to honour people.

Online can be a bit trickier, especially in circles where we don’t have the luxury of seeing our participants on camera or hearing them speak.

For example, I’ve run workshops where youth sign up through an online portal to self-identify as an Indigenous youth. Still, there’s no way for me to verify these people are Indigenous youth beyond their self-identification.

This happens often because Indigenous people are vulnerable, and the less identifying information they must provide encourages their participation.

In these cases, the best practice is to use software like Plooto (I’m not sponsored). It’s a program that background checks the accounts we send money to.

If there is any funny business with the account we are sending money to, it will be flagged, and the funds will not be delivered. This is a strong way to mitigate risk from scammers.

Here are some best practices if you’re ever stuck:

1. Ask the youth for their preferred payment method upfront.

2. Confirm the amount before the engagement.

3. Provide the honorarium on the same day (cash, e-transfer, or cheque). - Plooto takes up to 5 business days to process. Inform the youth before the engagement.

4. If paperwork is required, simplify it and offer support in filling it out.

5. Follow up with a personal thank-you.

By following the best practices above, you will avoid most of the mistakes listed below, but it’s always good to run through both lists before committing to a process.

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

• Don’t treat the honorarium as “optional.”

• Don’t pay with only gift cards (unless requested).

• Don’t make youth chase payment or fill out excessive forms.

• Don’t assume that “volunteering” is the default, especially for marginalized groups.

The best practices and common mistakes are about making the process easy for YIPs. If there is paperwork, fill it out; if there is a misunderstanding, clarify it early and often.

The last one about volunteering is especially important, because the worst-case scenario is someone who expected an honorarium, but is told at the end of the event that it’s a volunteer opportunity.

The youth who come out to these types of engagements are few and far between, so spoiling the experience with one group may greatly affect our reputation with the next.

I encourage readers to consider honorariums as an investment in youth leadership, rather than a cost to youth feedback/input.

Recognize that there is an emotional and cultural labour YIPs are going through that is often invisible to non-Indigenous hosts.

Honorariums are a way to provide fair compensation, and fair compensation is part of reconciliation in action.

That’s all, folks, a beginner’s guide to honorarium for young Indigenous people!

My email is always open to questions about anything you read of mine.

Happy youth reconciliation!!

Peace ✌️