Indigenous youth descend upon Iqaluit for climate conference

For some attendees, a youth conference in Iqaluit this week is a-once in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Nunavut capital and its landscapes.

The SevenGen Indigenous Youth Energy Summit kicked off in the city Tuesday and runs through Thursday. Events are being held at the Aqsarniit hotel and Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.

The three-day event, which was previously held at locations in the south, has attracted more than 100 Indigenous delegates from across Canada.

Keynote speakers, panels on environment-related topics, skills and career development workshops and on-the-land lessons are all on the agenda.

Mihskwakwan James Harper is one of the organizers of the SevenGen Indigenous Youth Energy Summit in Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

“I’m Woodlands Cree, so we’re surrounded by nothing but trees. So to be in a treeless place is a little bit strange for me, to be honest,” said Mihskwakwan James Harper of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in western Canada, one of the organizers.

“The land is so beautiful, I can’t wait to get out.”

Ranging in age from 18 to 35, more than half of those taking part in the week’s events are from the North.

Harper said it was important to host the conference in Iqaluit in order to highlight Northern perspectives, which may get less exposure at southern venues.

“As important as those spaces are to bringing in communities from those areas, it does tend to be a little bit disconnected to the realities of the North, of the Arctic, of the Inuit,” he said.

Tianna Philippot, who is Red River Métis from Manitoba and an engineer in training, said taking the trip North is “a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

She’s scheduled to speak on a panel about her work, but also plans to stay in Iqaluit for a few personal days.

She said it was “emotional” to hear presenters such as Mayor Solomon Awa speak in their languages.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to come here, to come to Iqaluit, to connect with so many kin and Indigenous youth across the country that all have such important things to say,” Philippot said.

Danii Kehler, who comes from Kawacatoose First Nation on Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan, is a former delegate and now a speaker at SevenGen.

A researcher with a focus on Antarctica, she said the conference is a “life-changing event” and an opportunity to build relationships and learn from other Indigenous communities.

Nunavik environmental activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier speaks during day one of the SevenGen Indigenous Youth Energy Summit at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

“When I started just being a delegate not knowing anything in energy, I wasn’t even going to school, and it just completely inspired me,” Kehler said.

“The biggest thing about SevenGen is that it’s going to take people on a whole journey, their careers are going to take off.”

One of the speakers who offered advice to attendees Tuesday was Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a well-known Inuk activist and political leader from Kuujjuaq.

In her wide-ranging keynote — which covered her upbringing, the history of Inuit since colonization, and her activism career — she offered a message of hope to her audience.

“Wow! Are we ever in good hands!” she said of the 100-plus attendees watching her speak.

“The future is in good hands here.”