A Labour of Love: The Unpaid and Exploited Labour of Grassroots and Community-Based Indigenous Youth Groups

This report was published by the Assembly of Seven Generations.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

This report highlights underfunded grassroots and community work of 10 Indigenous youth groups across so-called Canada and how ethically implementing TRC Call to Action 66 would create relief and safety for many youth groups.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 66 (TRC 66) is a call to action that Residential School survivors wanted for the current and future generations of young people. If meaningfully, fully, and honestly implemented, TRC 66 would advance true reconciliation by positively impacting survivors and multigenerational survivors, leading the way to address the harmful legacy of the residential school system. The intentions of survivors are clear and precise, with TRC 66 reading:

We call upon the federal government to establish multi-year funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation and establish a national network to share information and best practices.

We ask readers of this report to be mindful of your intentions. This report came with hesitations from many of the grassroots youth groups we spoke with. Many have been used and exploited, their work stolen without compensation or acknowledgment. We ask that readers read this in full as a tool to advocate alongside the Indigenous youth groups mentioned in this report. This report is by and for Indigenous youth groups and only to be used by Indigenous youth groups unless permission is otherwise given.

Categorised in: Report