‘We are slowly reclaiming for ourselves’: the generative possibilities of Indigenous youth voices.

Indigenous youth are actors of change in their communities, providing new perspectives on decolonization, unity, and cultural resurgence within the spaces they occupy. In this article, we report on a collaborative study that examined the many layers of Indigenous youth voices. With an organization that represents First Nations youth in Quebec, we conducted an Indigenous mixed methods study combining key informant interviews, a survey, and online group conversations. Four defining characteristics of Indigenous youth voices came to light: (a) hopeful and passionate, yet restricted; (b) disregarded in formal political structures that are unwelcoming and resistant to change; (c) strong with possibilities; and (d) inherently embedded in the collective. These characteristics highlight the vibrancy of Indigenous youth voices as they seek to generate forms of expression that reflect their realities, knowledges, and fluid identities. Our research points to the inadequacy of conventional politics and perspectives that emphasize the individual and the need for promoting alternative and intersectional modes of expression that provide meaningful and influential supports and spaces. These manifestations of youth survivance underscore pathways of resurgence that are culturally rooted. In these decolonial practices, young people seek to embrace these complexities and reclaim who they are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]