Northern Indigenous Youth Come Together to Learn about Climate Change, its Effects, its Challenges and its Solutions

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 24th, 2017

First Nations’ youth from across the Yukon are gathering in Whitehorse next week to learn about climate change and how they can assist their communities to adapt to the impacts. The four-day training event will teach and engage with participants about climate change from a global to a local perspective, integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and Western science. Participants will then use their new knowledge to develop a framework to work with their communities to identify priority areas for action. The opportunity for Yukon First Nations youth coming together and getting to know each other will be a source of strength as they go forward in assisting their communities and nations with adaptive strategies.

Traditional Knowledge, through the participating Elders, will play a key role in the training. They will provide their insights and teachings throughout the event. At an evening gathering, the 29th of November (Yukon Inn, Fireside Room), Francois Paulette, a well-respected Dene Elder coming from the Northwest Territories, will be making a keynote presentation. This event will bring together community participants attending an Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Community-Based Monitoring Forum along with the youth from the climate change training for an evening of exchange.

Yukon youth will be joined by four youth from other Northern regions, two from the Northwest Territories and two from Nunatsiavut (Newfoundland and Labrador). This will give the youth an opportunity to share knowledge from across regions.

The Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research (AICBR) is hosting the event, in partnership the Council of Yukon First Nations, Yukon Government’s Climate Change Secretariat and the Yukon College’s Yukon Research Centre.

“The idea for this training came from sitting in many circle discussions with Indigenous Elders, who have a deep concern for our future and changing homelands. It is paramount that we prepare our youth so that they can be involved from the very beginning in developing adaptive strategies for climate change in their communities.”

- Director of Indigenous Collaboration, Norma Kassi, AICBR

CONTACT:

Norma Kassi

Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research

Norma@aicbr.ca

o: 867-668-3393 | m: 867-334-4024

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Molly Pratt

Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research

Molly@aicbr.ca

o: 867-668-3393