YOUTH: Culture, Indigenous Perspectives, and Privilege Workshop

The forum hosted on November 15th was incredibly informative and engaging. We started off by

introducing ourselves and briefly speaking about our cultures, which was a truly eye-opening

experience. Following this, we learned about the proper way to address people of Indigenous

descent, through a short animation. Terms such as “First Nations” and “Aboriginal” should not

be used; instead opt to use “Indigenous” or the individual's group name. This was an incredibly

enlightening experience, which we fruitfully discussed in further detail amongst ourselves

afterwards.

Next, we participated in a quick activity, which highlighted to us the privileges that we take for

granted, such as being able to live in a stable country or the ability to receive a free education.

While doing this, we practiced a “Listen or Respond” strategy in which we spoke to partners of

our choosing, but asked them whether they wanted us to listen or respond to their thoughts.

This was a completely new experience for most of us, and it taught us the importance of feeling

heard and having your thoughts validated. Personally, I chose for my partner to respond during

our conversation, and it proved to be a meaningful practice that we all agreed would be greatly

useful in our lives moving forward.

Overall, this month’s forum was very enjoyable and taught every participant lots about

themselves and the people around them. As we all became closer friends, we continuously

shared our thoughts and ideas about the topics brought up, including aspects of our own lives,

experiences and connections.

Sara Kanafani