Youth and the Right to Privacy

Is it ok for our kids to keep secrets from us?

In this session, we will explore the tricky balance between young people’s inherent right to privacy and our responsibility as caregivers to keep them safe. How can we protect young people from very real dangers without sheltering them entirely from a world they need to be prepared to navigate? How can we incorporate technology - smartphones, social media etc. - into a changing conversation about privacy? And most importantly, how can we challenge ageist norms that strip youth of their agency and right to privacy in the name of safety? Together we will examine psychological evidence that supports the early introduction of privacy for children and teens, as well as the negative mental health impacts of privacy invasion. We will explore a range of tools to safely introduce more privacy into the lives of young people in our care while maintaining open lines of communication and trust, and dive deeply into a conversation about safety and privacy in an increasingly digital/online social landscape.

Youth Autonomy, Empathy and Ageism - an Indigenous Perspective

As youth mature, having control over their decisions, bodies, spaces, relationships and self-expression becomes an increasingly important part of their development, the formation of their identities, and their readiness to exist in the world as independent individuals. But as caregivers and mentors, we often fail to recognize early opportunities to sew the seeds of independence in young people. In this interactive session, participants will be invited to reflect on their own experiences and to interrogate the ageist assumptions that underpin our interactions with youth. Using an Anishinaabe-inspired perspective to critique colonial assumptions about children and parenting, we will seek to answer questions such as: How does fear drive us to exert more control over youth than is necessary, and how can we manage those fears? How can I safely introduce more autonomy into the expectations I set for youth, while providing the tools for them to meet those expectations successfully? How can I access empathy as a resource to build a strong foundation of trust and honesty in my relationships with youth? Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of the role of ageism in youth work, a range of tools to approach youth work with empathy, respect and trust, and practical, actionable strategies to cultivate responsible independence in the youth they work with.

Gender, Identity and Colonization: an Indigenous Perspective

How were gender identity and human sexuality understood on Turtle Island before colonization? This session will introduce participants to a pre-colonial understanding of sexuality and gender roles/identities, followed by a deep dive into the assimilation process of colonial cultural genocide and its impact on Indigenous communities. We will explore the fundamental differences between Indigenous and Western understandings of gender and sexuality, the reasons and means by which these differences were targeted by colonialism as a site of Indigenous power, the lasting impact, including colonial gendered violence and inequity in Indigenous communities, and the ways in which Indigenous Queer and 2-Spirit people are expressing resurgence. We will also discuss the role of racism, colonial assumptions, and white Queer culture in the ongoing exclusion of Indigenous peoples from Queer spaces and conversations about contemporary Queerness. Equipped with a deeper understanding of colonialism as a systemic force, participants will develop tools to build bridges and break down barriers to Indigenous inclusion in Queer spaces.

Anishinaabe Child Rearing

In this session, we will use storytelling as our primary pedagogical tool to explore the core principles of Anishinaabe child rearing techniques, and to examine those principles in contrast to Western conventions. Participants will be invited to engage with stories, ideas, and their own personal experiences as children and as caregivers in order to better understand a new perspective. Together we will learn how stories, the land, and interconnected relationships can serve as the framework within which young people can explore, learn, and come to know their communities. We will discuss the balance between autonomy and community responsibility, and the role of kinship networks in learning and growth. We will also dive deeply into the relationship between Indigenous child rearing and the impacts of colonialism, including a comprehensive history of the colonial forces that have sought - and continue to seek - to control and limit Indigenous family structures and methods of parenting. We will discuss the painful inequities that prevent Indigenous parents from accessing their traditional parenting customs, while the appropriation of elements of these customs has grown more popular within wealthy white parenting circles. Participants will gain a new perspective on relationships between children and adults, as well as a broader understanding of the social and political context within which these relationships are situated.