UNE North Event: Mawopiyane Youth: Let Us Sit Together – NSF Grant presentation | April 28th from 3-4pm at the UNE North building on the Portland Campus

In 2022, Indigenous youth from New England and the Arctic gathered in Maine, Wabanaki territory, for a first-of-its-kind gathering. With support from a National Science Foundation grant, and with the leadership of the Wabanaki Youth in Science program and Ikaarvik, they built relationships and trust while connecting to the land and waterways. They shared the impacts of settler colonialism and their values and traditions, finding similarities and differences. The youth conducted a session for the Assembly of the University of the Arctic which challenged Western norms—changing the space’s structure and emphasizing the need for respectful and reciprocal listening, silence, and discussion of colonialism’s impacts. These youth are leading an initiative to bring together global Indigenous youth to discuss environmental, climate, and cultural challenges. We have two you speakers come to the UNE campus.  They will debut their documentary film and share their experiences.  This event is not open to the public, per their request.  It is only available for UNE community members.