Free Online Teach-in: ‘Bubbling Up’: Radical Advocacy with/for Indigenous Youth

YouthREX is excited to host this online Teach-In with Dr. Sean Lessard, award-winning educator and former youth worker, teacher, and counselor, who focuses on innovative educational programs and Indigenous youth empowerment.

Sean will reflect on his work alongside Indigenous youth and an approach based on a Pedagogy of the Heart – an educational philosophy centered on empathy, critical reflection, and a commitment to social justice – and a ‘radical advocacy’ that centres and amplifies the voices and lived experiences of Indigenous youth.

In this engaging and inspiring session, participants will learn how Sean works to break down barriers, foster imagination, and cultivate genuine and meaningful connections through impactful experiences and an emphasis on relational ethics and the co-construction of knowledge.

Special Guest:

Dr. Sean Lessard is Woodland Cree from Montreal Lake Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan. Sean is currently a Professor at the University of Alberta, specializing in Indigenous Education, working alongside and relentlessly advocating, researching, and writing about the experiences of Indigenous youth and families, both inside and outside of educational spaces.

Sean has worked across North America with youth and is especially known for his design of graduation coach models, transition/career planning, and “school at any place and at any time” approaches. He has most recently turned his attention to the youth from his home community and has worked towards designing alongside them a land-based and wellness hub for healing.

Through speaking engagements, Sean has purchased over 1,000 pairs of shoes for elders and youth, and over 300 bikes so that each child might have an opportunity “to bike to places within their imaginations.”