Written by Justen Peters
Being a part of the BCAFN Youth Leadership and Connection Project helped me learn more about what youth are looking for from their BCAFN Youth Representatives and also helped me as a youth leader hone in on some of the skills required to lead, especially in the virtual world we are all in during the Pandemic. On March 26th and 27th, the BCAFN Youth Representatives had the pleasure of hosting and presenting at the BCAFN Youth forum and training sessions with the help of the facilitators from IndigenEYEZ. It was refreshing to be able to connect with fellow First Nations youth from across B.C., especially during the pandemic. The gatherings were held online via Zoom like other conferences, but the team was able to make things work and the experience was still fun and heart-warming. We had three other First Nation youth present at the Youth Forum on topics such as Influencing on Social Media (Shayla Stonechild), Mental Health (Madeline Terbasket), and Entrepreneurship (Siobhan Detkavich), all of whom were all competent speakers and well received by the audience. A special thanks to Erika Doehring and Allan Thomas Lindley from IndigenEYEZ who facilitated workshops for the events that were fun and inspirational. Although things were restricted due to Covid-19, the event was well worth it. The Youth appreciated the chance to connect with other youth and their input towards BCAFN is insightful and honest. We look forward to continuing to build connections and opportunities for First Nation youth and look forward to our future engagements and successes with the Youth.