Indigenizing Youth Work: Towards a New Relationship

This report was published by YouthREX.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission describes reconciliation as the ongoing commitment to building and renewing healthy relationships that are based on honesty, mutual respect, and an understanding of identity. In order to improve outcomes for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth living on Turtle Island, youth sector stakeholders need to participate in the restorative work of truth and reconciliation. How might the work of truth and reconciliation unsettle dominant youth sector structures and practices? How might we learn from and integrate Indigenous experience, history, theory, and worldviews into youth work practice? How might youth sector stakeholders contribute to the development of community-driven and -delivered, holistic prevention-based youth services?

In October 2016, YouthREX hosted a Design Day that brought together youth sector stakeholders – youth, youth workers, policy makers, researchers, funders, and citizens – to collaboratively tackle four ‘thorny’ challenges, or Idea Labs, that youth and youth workers experience, including this topic: Indigenizing Youth Work: Towards a New Relationship. This report is a snapshot of this Design Day, provides a review of the context around this Idea Lab topic, and shares the two prototype pitches that participants co-developed in response to the challenge. The report includes reflections on the collaborative process along with resources and case study examples that can inspire our youth work.

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