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Inspirational stories
if you know of a teen or if you are a teen
that has a story of activism, or one of inspiration in any way, please feel free
to email me and maybe your story can be here too.
About First Nations Activist
Tony Delaney
click
here to listen to Tony talk about the loss of culture Native teens deal with.
Profile of Tony Delaney (Spotted Bull)Tony is from the Kainai community, the largest First Nations community in Canada.
Tony has been involved in numerous youth and native initiatives. After a lot of work on the Kainai Blood reserve (in Southern Alberta, a two hour drive south of the Tsuu T’ina reserve), he was elected to be one of two of Alberta’s youth representatives on the Assembly of First Nations (they have a youth council).
Tony began his political life when he was 8 years old. He went to speak to the mayor in Lethbridge (where he had recently moved) about native issues, such as a significant lose of culture surrounding the native community. This culture lose included the lose of language and smudges and cultural appropriation of native symbols.
During adolescence, he did what most youth do, spent time trying to find himself and fit in. He even took a year and a half off of school. He found new meaning in his life, living on the Kainai reserve, in 1996 with the start of the Kainai youth council. The council was created because many youth were bored and youth suicide rates were high. With the youth council he started initiatives in 7 different communities and spoke to 44 others about alternatives to drugs, alcohol or suicide. He thought a youth resource center would benefit the Kainai reserve and as well as other reserves. However, once plans were made and okayed by the Alberta government, the Alberta government backed out and said that the construction of even one such a building was too expensive. Perhaps the reason a teen committed suicide just a few days prior to Justice4youth’s arrival on the Kainai reserve is because no youth resource center was built.
He wanted to promote cultural understanding between first nations peoples and other cultures in Canada. To do this he created the Spotted-Eagle-Calf Society1. It was a 3 month project in which Elders from both within and outside the native community met and spoke. The conclusion of the talks was that the names of each cultures’ respective gods were different, but that every religion prays to one god that has similar virtues (like justice, love and respect). The idea of the wheel is an ancient symbol on the Kainai reserve, often used by elders to depict ideas like the changing of the seasons or the human life cycle.
Because of these initiatives, Tony was recognized and was voted onto the Assembly of First Nations and became the Alberta youth representative. There, he goes to Assembly meetings and conveys what youth think about issues, so that youth can have some say in the governance of their people across Canada. Perhaps, a question we should be asking is, why is there no youth council for the non-native Canadian government? Why doesn’t the non-native Canadian government share the Assembly of First Nation’s respect for youth? Why didn’t the government invite youth to be on a council so that they can have some influence of the goings on of the country, the country is just as much a part of the youth as anyone else.
1 Spotted-Eagle-Calf Society
The name comes from the last names of the 3 youth that created it. Spotted is a reference to different clans, like different spots forming the whole. The eagle is a symbol of everything people can achieve when working together. And Calf was included because the founders of the society were young, like Calfs.
click
here to hear him talk.
See
the mission statement for the Kanai Youth Council by clicking here.
also visit www.justice4youth.com
The world’s only young offender, child welfare show is heard every Thursday live on
CJSR FM 88.5 every Thursday 5-6 PM Mountain Standard Time. This show is live with no censorship or ‘kill button’. You may not agree with everything these young people say, the point is they are given a voice or an opportunity to express their opinions about systems they are involved in. The 10 minute clip is a highlight of shows from youth engrained in the child welfare and justice system. Some of the interviews were taken in institutions, crack houses, backs of cars as well as at the studio of CJSR. Youth Menace was nominated as the world’s best radio show for young people with One Radio/UNCIEF last year. The message is raw and real, listener discretion is advised.
hear an uncut, uncensored radio show that interviews youth on
subjects such homelessness, drugs, sexuality etc. click
here to listen to a sample.
visit their official
site!
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C.2005
The Peaceful Warriors