TakingITGlobal

34 T he following quotes come from our closing circle where we reflected on our experiences together; they provide insight into the powerful nature of Indigenous youth being with one another and supporting one another in understanding and navigating our leadership. "I think it has been really special to have a space where it's just a bunch of Natives hanging out and talking about stuff instead of having to worry about outsiders and having to frame the things we want to talk about in a way that's understandable to them. It's really nice to not have to do that because we're going through a lot of the same issues… One thing that I've really taken away from this is that we really want to establish nation to nation relationships with the Crown, but at the same time I think that it is so important that we engage in strengthening relationship between all of us. We owe it to each other in a way, we have a lot of the same struggles so I think it's really important that we try and stay connected and leverage strength in numbers. We all have different skills and I think working together we can do great things to help each other in what we are doing. I am grateful for the chance to strengthen existing relationships and to build new friendships and look forward to when we meet again." ‒ Piers Kreps "I am so thankful to everyone for opening up to me. I've had a really tough time lately going through life changes moving back home and coming here I was really hesitant because some conferences I've been to in the past were really destructive. I am thankful that I had trust and let my fears subside; thank-you to all of you for making me feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable." ‒ Chelsey Meade "I can't think of another time where I've been in a room filled with other people like myself who have been in the trenches doing great stuff, so it was really refreshing for me and affirming. Especially when we talked about things like the pressures and challenges we face as Indigenous youth leaders in our own lives. When you have your nose to the grindstone all the time it is easy to feel like you're alone and so it was refreshing to be reminded that I'm not alone in this and there are people going through the same things and I now have a network of people who I can talk to and turn to for support when things come up… it was great to be able to come together with such a great group of people who are doing wonderful things and finding unity with common voice and purpose in our work. It gives me a lot of hope that moving down the road we can continue to build on that and come together." ‒ Paul Robitaille R E C O M M E N D A T I O N 6

• Cover