Indigenous Youth Empowering Students (IYES)

Program History: Indigenous Youth Empowering Students (IYES) was born out of the dream of a young Wet’suwet’en woman who came to volunteer with SchoolBOX, a grassroots Canadian Charity working to ‘Make Education Possible’ in Central America. After a 10-day school building project in Nicaragua, Danielle Ogen envisioned a program where other Indigenous youth from Canada would have the opportunity to “learn about their heritage and share it with another culture and with their own community”. It is from this dream that SchoolBOX launched the first IYES program in 2009.

Why IYES is important: The IYES program is designed to support youth in their personal journeys of discovering what it means to be an Indigenous leader in the modern world. Volunteers begin to ask questions about their ancestry, to research their heritage and connect with elders, in order to share their culture with children in Central America.

Rather than old development models where Indigenous youth were seen as the recipients of charity, this program turns that idea on its head and asks Indigenous youth to be the agents of change in our world. While helping to build a school and sharing their culture through games, dance and song, IYES youth help to empower Nicaraguan students by breaking the cycle of poverty and restoring a future of hope.

This opportunity to empower the lives of others translates back to the home communities of IYES youth. After participation in the 2009 IYES program, Kristy Auger became the Aboriginal Sports Coordinator for Northern BC. She explains that, “I am no longer afraid to step out and create the changes I want to see in my community. It’s now my dream to see all Aboriginal youth living healthy lifestyles and engaged in healthy practices.” By empowering students abroad, Indigenous youth become leaders of change in their home communities as well.

Innovation: The innovation of IYES is rooted in our program model to build on the dreams of Indigenous youth leaders who have volunteered with SchoolBOX. As Indigenous youth have expressed their hopes and dreams for the IYES program, SchoolBOX has worked to build their visions into our organization by providing the structure, core funds and management to transform their dreams into reality.

After the initial IYES program in 2009, SchoolBOX was stretched for funds and pulled back on IYES. Helen Knott, a past IYES participant put together a proposal to re-establish the program. She explains, “I believe so much in the powers of this program … that I worked with SchoolBOX in order to become the new IYES Program Coordinator”.

Our hope for the IYES program is that SchoolBOX can continue this innovative model of building the vision and leadership of Indigenous youth participants into our organization. We hope to invest in IYES youth ambassadors to become IYES Regional Coordinators across Canada and to lead group trips in future years.

What sets IYES apart from other international exchange opportunities?

First, a 10-day trip makes this experience accessible for youth who have never left their home communities before, who are parents, and/or who have other work, school and family responsibilities. CIDA’s International Aboriginal Youth Internships Initiative and the Northern Youth Abroad program are fantastic opportunities for youth with the ability to commit 5 weeks - 6 months travel. Those opportunities are impossible for many of our IYES participants, particularly women, who are the sole caregivers of their children.

Secondly, IYES is focused on empowering Indigenous leaders to cultivate their traditional knowledge and be proud of their heritage by teaching other children. This program is not simply about going to learn another culture abroad, but is about learning one’s own culture. IYES Coordinator Helen Knott says the IYES program “was the first time I began to explore my heritage and learned an introduction in my language.”