To equip Indigenous youth with essential leadership skills, the Next Generation Program was launched in early March by First Nations Executive Education in partnership with HEC Montréal.
Held at the Ilnu Museum in Mashteuiatsh March 4-6, this immersive leadership initiative is an intensive three-day program that provided 30 participants aged 18 to 35 with workshop themes on politics, public speaking and goal setting. It was developed through a year-long collaboration with the First Nations Quebec-Labrador Youth Network, Mikana, New Paths Foundation, Wapikoni and Puamun Meshkenu.
Jay Launière-Mathias, an Innu and Anishinaabe leader from Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation, spearheads innovative projects for Indigenous youth at Puamun Meshkenu, a non-profit organization aiming to develop the potential of Indigenous youth in Quebec.
“We try to make it as dynamic as possible by including presentations, examples, videos, music so that young people can really understand what we’re talking about,” Launière-Mathias said.
In his opinion, the program succeeded in bringing together individuals who have different path profiles and who might not have met otherwise. During the workshops, entrepreneurs from different industries and university students were engaged in the areas most relevant to them, said Launière-Mathias.
“Overall, people appreciated the three blocks of training that we offered them,” he continued. “But depending on each person’s interests, some young people were interested in politics, others found the session on public speaking particularly valuable.”
Beyond the training blocks, the program offered evening activities such as storytelling and artistic exchanges.
“The first day, we gathered for an evening of tales and legends with a storyteller from the Mashteuiatsh community,” Launière-Mathias said. The following day, a conference by Atikamekw visual artist Eruoma Awashish provided a unique cultural dimension, he added.
For Leonna Cheezo, an Anishinaabe youth participant, the session offered a fresh perspective on politics, broadening her understanding of its role in shaping Indigenous history and sparked an interest in governance and policymaking.
“When I registered in the program, I was more interested in public speaking and priority management,” Cheezo said. “But I really liked the politics part. When I used to think about politics, it was not something I wanted to get into. It was a little bit taboo, especially in the community.”
A discussion explaining the impact of the Indian Act helped Cheezo understand how past wrongs affect the present and how to create positive change.
“It was more about like self-reflection,” she said. “After this day, we had a good look on why did it start and why it is that way today, and what can we do to make it better?”
Cheezo said she gained valuable insights into public speaking, time optimizing and political engagement, in order to shape her career and contribute to her community.
“We were given a lot of tools to put in practice,” she added. “The next generation should get involved in their community and not be scared of judgment or opinions, because we are the future of our community.”
Following overwhelming demand, organizers have announced a second cohort of the program in October.