Youth are invited to apply (or have someone nominate them) for a two-day empowerment and training conference open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth ages 15 - 22, from across Saskatchewan. For those youth selected to attend either of the two-day conferences, all expenses will be covered. Apply/nominate someone here

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner is hosting two youth conferences, one in the North and one in the South. Youth in Service – Moving Saskatchewan Towards Reconciliation Youth Conference will have motivational guest speakers, round table discussions, empowerment sessions, group and individual activities and more.

“There needs to be more education about Reconciliation and the Treaty Relationship, particularly for all of the youth in in Canada. Young people will be the ones that lead that positive change towards Reconciliation once they get more knowledge and education around it,” said Angie Merasty, project coordinator with the OTC.

At the end of the two conferences, 36 youth will be selected to continue working and travelling with the OTC in the following capacities: Youth Advisory Council; OTC’s Youth Speaker’s Bureau; Youth with Youth Cadre.

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC) promotes the civic engagement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to enhance and build upon the efforts of the OTC, particularly related to reconciliation of the Treaty promises made by our ancestors through outreach into a variety of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, and the building of mutual understanding through maintaining respectful relationships.

“The Treaties get lost in Reconciliation talk.  We have to go back to the foundation of reconciliation, that's the Treaty relationship here in the prairies, not gloss over it and pass over it, we cannot pick and choose what we will use. We have to reconcile, we all have obligations and a responsibility to do so; otherwise we won’t be able to move forward.”

The deadline to apply for the Northern Conference is Oct. 9 and the Southern Conference is Oct. 16. We ask youth to apply for the conference closest to them.