Youth are heard at MCA’s Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders” forum

The youth of Akwesasne were invited to a special day-long forum Wednesday in what is the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s recent step to getting their membership involved in the affairs of the community. The “Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders” youth forum showed the willing participants how to get involved and why it would be important to do so.

“It’s about our future and the need for you to be prepared,” said Angie Barnes, former grand chief of MCA.

The youth were divided up into break-out sessions where they discussed issues like governance, lands, justice, environmental stewardship and culture and language.

Barnes spoke to the audience about the current status of MCA in the eyes of the Canadian government and what areas the youth could change or be a part of.

Louise McDonald had a candid discussion with the youth on issues like interracial marriages. She said Mohawks are privileged people and that clanship is what authenticates Haudenosaunee people. The group also discussed the scientific information surrounding genetics and race, and the value that might come from reproducing within one’s own gene pool.

“I’m not telling you who to love,” McDonald said, explaining the importance of being aware of certain issues and perhaps making choices while first having knowledge of the effects they might have.

“As Mohawk people, we have a lot to offer the global community,” she said.

Joyce King of MCA’s Nation Building program said the forum was held because MCA wants to know what the community wants.

“The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne thought there needs to be more dialogue within the community and the community needs to give us direction,” she said.

The youth are often an overlooked demographic but on Wednesday they were told just how important their voice and their vote is. Although many of those in attendance were under the age of 18, they learned that many important issues, like land claims, might require their vote a few years down the road.

MCA is currently in the process of drafting a government-to-government agreement that will affect its relationship with the Canadian government, and a “Lands Sectoral Agreement” is also planned.

“You will be expected to vote on the agreements,” Barnes said. “The outcome of the vote is about the future relationships MCA will have with outside governments.”

(Editor’s Note: Next week, Joyce King will share with Indian Time readers what youth at the forum learned and thought.)