Indigenous-Racialized Youth Retreat. Dawson
Channel: The United Church of Canada
Date: 2022-10-25

The Indigenous and racialized youth gathering that happened at the Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Centre, Sep30-Oct2, 2022, had its roots in the 40 Days of Engagement on Antiracism. We gathered young people for a weekend of conversations around identity, racism, retreat, and fun. The conversations among the youths were open-ended:

Indigenous and racialized people need time and space to gather. We sometimes need to carve out a space for ourselves where we can just be. We need to be in spaces that are free from the pressures of reconciling relationships, establishing trust and educating white folks. Being Indigenous and racialized can be exhausting! We need to gather with other people who look like us so we can momentarily be free from the mainstream stereotypes that infiltrates every part of society. We need to be safe to be our authentic selves and not worry about making white people feel comfortable. 

To capture these thoughts, there are 11 video interviews to convey the voices of the young people where they shared just how important their time together was and why there is a need for Indigenous-Racialized youth only spaces within the UCCan.   

These videos were created as part of the 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism: https://united-church.ca/social-action/justice-initiatives/anti-racism/40-days-engagement-anti-racism