Presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.

The Canadian government must move beyond its colonial mentality and provide First Nations with the tools to establish self-government as provided for under the authority of the Canadian constitution. Only then can First Nations governments properly provide for their citizens, both on and off reserve. More than half of the First Nations population is under the age of 25. Many of these live off reserve, in urban areas. A study by the Assembly of First Nations' Youth Council has determined that there is very little specific research on First Nation youth/adolescents. The Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples is looking for an action plan for change. A good starting point would be to establish a national database of all Aboriginal youth programs. Then it could be determined what works and what doesn't, so that time would not be wasted reinventing a broken wheel. The database should contain enough information about programs so that successful programs could be replicated. The Youth Council also recommends that First Nations youth be involved in the design and delivery of youth programs, and that youth programs have long-term sustainable funding. It further recommends that the Senate Standing Committee travel across Canada and hear directly from First Nations youth about what works and what doesn't. (TD)