The Strengthening Environmental Leadership through Youth Mobilization in Akwesasne project aims to strengthen the capacity of Akwesasne youth to raise environmental awareness.
Participants in the training will develop the capacity to:
- Contribute to local water and environmental protection decision-making processes
- Meaningfully engage in intergenerational dialogues about their territory
- Take action to implement environmental protection projects and civic actions
We are looking for young leaders aged 18 to 29 who are keen to advocate for water and the environment in decision-making processes and to develop and implement water and environmental projects in the Akwesasne community.
If you are ready to empower yourself and your peers as an environmental leader, then apply by September 2, 2019!
BACKGROUND
Akwesasne is a Haudenosaunee (Mohawk) Community that occupies a territory along the St. Lawrence River Valley, 75 km west of Montreal, in the political boundaries of New York State in the USA and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Québec. Akwesasne youth First Nations people have specific spiritual connections with the natural world and traditional teachings of responsibilities and stewardship for the gifts of the Creator. By drawing upon these teachings and engaging resident member of Akwesasne youth in mini-workshops, lectures, and activities related to water, we aim to train young leaders to engage in environmental protection and to advocate on behalf of the Indigenous peoples (including Onkwehonweh and Anishnaawbe) of the Great Lakes and Saint-Lawrence River basin.
Water is a shared resource that transcends administrative boundaries and unites us all. To this extent, water and the environment are inextricably linked, and the use and management of natural resources, including water, are complex and involve both the harmonization of many interests and an excellent understanding of the measures implemented for their conservation.
However, young people do not participate in natural resource management decisions and might not be aware of the conflicts over their use and how the environment could be degraded as a result. The future cannot be built without including those water policy and decision makers of tomorrow, today. There remains an increasing importance for intergenerational dialogue between First Nations Youth and Elders to understand Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its importance to our responsibility to the Waters of Turtle Island. This action alone will influence regional, national and international democratic practices of natural resources management. Akwesasne environmental leaders have an opportunity to share the Haudenosaunee principles of Peace, Power and a Good Mind.
Akwesasne youth will participate in training and workshops in water conservation and environmental projects. These workshops will address the process for the development of public policies and support young people’s contributions in spaces of dialogue and intergenerational sharing.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
International Secretariat for Water (ISW) and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) have partnered to strike the balance in the participation of young people in environmental decision-making processes in Akwesasne.
Together we will strengthen youth capacities for the sustainable governance of water resources and the environment.
Avec le soutien du Gouvernement du Québec / With the support of the Government of Québec
CRITERIA TO APPLY
Resident members of Akwesasne, with a passion for their water and environment, aged 18 – 29 are welcome to apply!