Decolonizing Climate Policy

Indigenous-Led Climate Policy Advisory Council

Youth Engagement

In response to the strong guidance from the Advisory Council to prioritize youth engagement in the project, we worked with a small group of Indigenous youth to develop youth specific questions for the survey. Our team followed up by having a working group session with this same group of youth to ask them questions from the survey we’d been developing, both to get their ideas and visions for climate policy, but also to test out the survey questions for effectiveness and salience. 

Mostly recently, we recruited and hired a Youth Research Intern, Sarah Hanson, to assist in all aspects of the research and to lead the youth engagement work. She will be working hard to ensure that the survey and tier two interviews involve a high proportion of youth, so that our research findings meaningfully reflect the needs, interests and vision of Indigenous youth across Canada.

Sarah Hanson

Sarah (she/her) is Anishinaabe from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, currently living and working on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, currently referred to as Thunder Bay. She holds a Biology degree from Queen’s University, using the knowledge gained to connect with other climate activists across the world while simultaneously providing an Indigenous perspective. For the past few years, Sarah has worked on creating spaces for Indigenous youth to connect and learn about climate change, sustainability, and reconciliation. When not working, Sarah loves to bead, sew, learn Anishinaabemowin, and re-explore her traditional lands along the north shore of Lake Superior.