I love walking into Indigenous Cultural Centres.

I can’t help but feel at ease because everything about the space is reassuring me that I belong there.

The artwork is similar to the art I saw growing up, the smell of the food reminds me of a dish one of my family members makes, and people of all genders have braids just like mine!

I’m greeted by staff who are easy to relate to because the stories about their land, teachings, community, and lived experience are similar to mine.

That’s how we want young Indigenous peoples (YIPs) to feel when they enter our spaces. We want them to feel like they belong and don’t need to prove themselves to be there.

To be clear, we don’t need to be a cultural centre to give YIPs this feeling. Nor do you need to be an Indigenous person; we just need to be authentic.

“Authentic” in this context means making an honest effort and being humble about our level of understanding and commitment.

In other words, we don’t need to be perfect in youth reconciliation engagements; we just need to be open to making mistakes and honest about how much we know or don’t know.

I feel this is important because I witness so many organizations, companies, and institutions taking no action on reconciliation because they fear doing it wrong.

I empathize with the hesitation, but I’m here to assure folks that youth reconciliation is just like anything in this world…

If you approach it with humility, it’s hard to go wrong. If we mess up, we accept the lesson and come back better tomorrow. No one is perfect, myself included.

I feel confident enough to write about youth reconciliation because of how many mistakes I’ve made leading up to now. It’s okay to not get it right the first time.

I’m here to help readers make the fewest mistakes possible, so let’s get into it!

The framework today is FEAST:

1. Food

2. Empathy

3. Affirmation (Representation)

4. Stories

5. Territory (Space)

First up, food! (Yum!)

F is for FOOD

In my opinion, nothing says “you belong” like being well-fed. It’s a gesture as old as time to feed the people we care about.

I used to rely on community gatherings and engagements for food in college. Not like 100% but I would plan like “oh, I won’t need to buy Thursday dinner because I have that event,” kind of vibe.

It was great because sometimes I would be a little down on my luck (I mismanaged my money) and didn’t have a satisfying lunch that day, so I’d get a big plate at the event.

I’m not a great cook, and I certainly didn’t make food as tasty as the catering was at some of these events, so it was something I looked forward to.

Then I would show up at events other times, and only granola bars and crackers were available. I wouldn’t complain because I know I should be grateful, and I recognize that not everyone has the budget for catering.

But it was frustrating that I didn’t know ahead of time, because I showed up on an empty stomach, and now I’m hungry and don’t want to participate.

It’s important to set expectations for YIPs, because I would have planned better if I had known there would be only light snacks.

We don’t know the life circumstances of the YIPs attending our events. This might be the only meal someone made for them all week, month, year, or ever.

The lesson here is to always provide food, whether a light snack or a big meal, just make it clear to participants what is available in our communications.

We can cut out whole sections of our posters to show the food available, or take a simpler approach.

For example, if we have a poster that says “honorariums, food, and bus tickets provided,” then add brackets next to the “food,” like this:

• Honorariums, food (pizza, fried chicken, veggie options too), and bus tickets provided.

• Honorariums, food (granola bars, crackers, chips), and bus tickets provided.

Next up is Empathy!

E is for EMPATHY

Empathy is to be aware of and share another person’s feelings, experiences, and emotions.

In an ideal engagement, we want the adults in the room to have empathy by respecting YIP’s energy, emotions, and input.

• Energy - Considering the time they arrive, where they are coming from, and how it will affect their energy.

• Emotions - Empathize with their circumstances, and they may have big emotions that they may feel safe expressing in this event.

• Input - Empathize that YIPs are taking a risk at these events. They are expressing themselves and being vulnerable. Let’s nurture the space for them to give input.

Empathy in this context means considering how someone will feel while engaging with us.

Empathy shows up in many ways. Some examples include scheduling, word choice, engagement practices, pacing, collecting input, and creating space for co-creation.

For example, empathy in scheduling means planning some extra time so that we can make space for anyone asking for it in the event.

A linear minute-by-minute agenda is likely not the best option because it will not allow for change in real-time. We need to be more flexible in youth events.

Instead, think of the agenda like big building blocks that can be swapped around as needed, with plenty of extra time to let things happen naturally.

Empathy shows itself when we let YIPs dive into meaningful conversations without an urgency to get them out of it. So let’s not pack the agenda and allow for a natural flow in conversation.

Being empathetic with our word choice does not mean being politically correct; it means considering how our words may affect people badly, even if we don’t mean it.

Think of it like some YIPs are allergic to some words. Like, I’m allergic to derogatory sayings about people experiencing homelessness, meaning that when I hear people say these things, an alert that goes off in my head that says: “This person doesn’t get it, they are not a safe person.”

Here are some phrases to use and some to avoid:

• Reductive titles like “Junkies, addicts, the homeless, no-lifes.”

• Violent language like “take a swing at that, hit the nail on the head, take a shot at this, you smashed it, hit it out of the park.”

• “Youth with lived experience” instead of “troubled youth.”

• “Emerging leaders” instead of “kids without direction.”

• “Youth navigating challenges” instead of “at-risk youth.”

• “Young people with unique gifts” instead of “youth who lack skills.”

• “Youth building on their strengths” instead of “youth who need fixing.”

• “Knowledge keepers in training” instead of “inexperienced youth.”

• “Communities with rich cultural traditions” instead of “communities with problems.”

• “Communities working toward healing” instead of “broken communities.”

• “Resilient Nations” instead of “struggling reserves.”

• “Communities with diverse strengths” instead of “impoverished communities.”

• “Resourceful and adaptive families” instead of “dysfunctional families.”

Next is Affirmation (Representation)

A is for AFFIRMATION

Affirmation means offering someone emotional support or encouragement, and we can affirm YIPs the second they walk in the door.

Emotional support and encouragement do not need to be direct 1:1 support; it is also the setting and the people who set a tone of emotional support and encouragement.

Think back to how I described walking into a cultural centre. I didn’t need to talk to anyone before I knew I belonged there.

The architecture, the smells, the people, the colours all affirm that I am in a safe space where I can be myself.

I can immediately tell that whoever designed this place knew that I would enjoy it here, and that’s how we want YIPs to feel when they enter our spaces.

A clear way to set the tone of emotional support and encouragement is by having Indigenous people represented in the plan and facilitation of the event.

Representation is important, and I feel that if we’re going to engage an Indigenous community, we must have Indigenous people leading our engagements to ensure it’s done in a good way.

YIPs should see their facilitators as role models who reflect their identities. Seeing role models affirms they can do those things in the future, too.

If we don’t have Indigenous representation, invite a guest mentor or co-facilitator for the event.

Our role is to affirm YIPs that they are in the right place and that we took extra care in planning their arrival.

Next up is Stories!

S is for STORIES

Stories are the entry point to Indigenous learning; they make knowledge memorable.

This is why I started this article by writing a story about my experience walking into a cultural centre. I want readers to remember times they felt the same.

Stories are the most powerful tools we have to help people understand us. Think of all the movies, poems, books, and speeches that made us feel emotion.

Our spaces have stories too, and telling those stories is an amazing way to connect with YIPs at the beginning of events.

For example, I know many non-profit organizations have detailed histories and are sometimes over a hundred years old. How cool to give a brief timeline of how the organization started and is now doing youth reconciliation work.

On the other hand, some non-profits are grassroots and have short histories fueled with passion and a commitment to doing something for the greater good; both are awesome.

Sharing stories with YIPs at the event's start helps build connections with them and contribute to their worldview.

This also goes for personal stories. It’s helpful to give a brief history of oneself. I usually say something like this:

"I’m Bailey. I’m 28, and Ojibwa and Mohawk. I started my career in Social Service Work, and now work in Public Policy. I’ve worked in Indigenous-led organizations my entire career and am passionate about youth reconciliation. I’ve been hip-hop dancing since I was a kid, and I like to train in martial arts. My dog’s name is Strawberry, and I will probably take her to the dog park after this engagement.”

In this 30-second intro, I’ve given YIPs a glimpse of who I am and what I care about. My goal isn’t to look cool or give the highest highlights of my life; it’s to be authentic.

Never underestimate the power of a good story, no matter how short.

Last but not least, Territory! (Space)

T is for TERRITORY (Space)

Before we get into our event spaces, let’s consider that YIPs are carrying generations of exclusion in schools, government offices, and workplaces.

Despite being the original peoples of this land, they often see little of themselves in these institutional settings.

Until I went to college, I didn’t see any Indigenous artistry in my schools, hospitals, or government buildings.

Seeing Indigenous art on the wall feels reassuring because it signifies that the people in this place value something about Indigenous culture.

I think about all the missed opportunities growing up, where teachers, medical staff, and government workers could have been someone to look up to if they considered how YIPs receive their spaces.

Every room tells a story, and the physical setup of our spaces communicates more than we may think.

We want YIPs to walk in and think, “Oh, this is cozy and safe!” We want YIPs to feel comfortable and enthusiastic about being in the space.

Here are some considerations for the physical space:

1. Circles are almost always a better option than rows of chairs.

2. Natural light is best. A windowless board is not ideal.

3. Signal belonging by putting up Indigenous art.

4. Don’t be afraid to have something outside, or book a room in a cultural centre.

Lastly, creating a territory (space) for YIPs means creating breakout spaces, quiet corners, and opportunities for one-on-one sharing.

Just because a YIP attends our event does not mean they should be forced to engage in only one way.

If they don’t feel comfortable speaking in a group setting, we should plan for that and capture their input in another way.

So before we just put the chairs out, let’s ask ourselves these questions:

• Does this space look and feel like youth were considered in its design?

• Does the setup create equality or reinforce hierarchy?

• Would a young person think, “I can be myself here?”

That’s all folks! ✌️🤓

Next time you’re planning a YIPs event, think: FEAST

• Food

• Empathy

• Affirmation (Representation)

• Stories

• Territory (Space)

Next week is a deeper dive into the T in FEAST; there’s just so much to know about physical space that it needs its own article.

The best way to help me is by sharing this article with your friends and colleagues!

Peace 😎