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• Are they living with any physical or intellectual
disabilities, or health conditions?
• Do they face economic barriers?
• How old are they?
• Do they have any children?
• What roles and responsibilities do they have in
their family and community?
• What other leadership experiences have they had?
• How comfortable are they participating and
speaking in groups?
• How did they become connected with you? Are
they working with you by choice?
• What gifts, skills and passions do they offer?
It may not be possible—or appropriate—to find out all of
this information ahead of time, however, keeping these
things in mind will help guide you to better understand
our unique identities, experiences and needs. This is
particularly important to ensure that Indigenous youth
are not being tokenized in spaces and that expectations
of our involvement are in line with our readiness
and abilities.
