
Empowering Indigenous youth through justice education and mentorship
Level’s Indigenous Youth Outreach Program (“IYOP”, formerly "Dare to Dream") is an innovative justice education and mentorship program for First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth aged 11 - 18 that achieves the following:
- Engages First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth in fun and collaborative justice-based activities
- Empowers youth to reach their full potential
- Builds the confidence, critical thinking and leadership skills of youth
- Promotes relationship development between youth and justice sector volunteers through storytelling and a two-way knowledge exchange
- Celebrates Indigenous customs, practices and beliefs
- Advances reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities
Throughout the program, students work with justice sector volunteers and participate in experiential learning opportunities like mock trials, sentencing circles, and field trips that expose them to the justice system in a positive and culturally-empowering way.
With its focus on building relationships, the program provides the youth participants with a positive experience with the justice system during a critical time of their development. IYOP is rooted in building trust, acknowledging colonial legacies, honouring Indigenous practices and customs, and promoting a two-way knowledge exchange between volunteers and Indigenous youth.
RATIONALE
The accessibility of the justice system for Indigenous people in Canada is of significant concern. For instance, Indigenous youth, one of Canada’s fastest growing populations, are more likely to live in poverty and drop out of high school compared to non-Indigenous youth in Canada. Studies have also shown that Indigenous peoples are overrepresented at every stage of the criminal justice process, yet underrepresented in the administration of justice in Canada. Despite making up only 8% of the youth population in Canada, Indigenous youth aged 12-17 account for nearly half of all of admissions to correctional services in Canada at 46%. From a gender perspective, Indigenous boys account for 47% of male admissions to penal youth facilities. For Indigenous girls, the numbers are even more stark, making up 60% of all female youth in the correctional system (Statistics Canada, youth correctional statistics). Canada’s prisons have been referred to as the “new residential schools”.
While the reasons for the inaccessibility of the justice system for Indigenous communities are complex, the lack of culturally appropriate educational programming and supports, coupled with the effects of racism, colonialism and the devaluation of Indigenous cultures and identities are widely recognized as significant barriers. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action contain recommendations focused on the need for a responsive solution to eliminating the over-representation of Indigenous youth in the justice system, and for an increase in programming tailored toward Indigenous youth.
IYOP responds to these concerns and calls to action by offering programming that not only increases the students’ knowledge about the justice system and their critical thinking and leadership skills, but also enhances the volunteers’ cultural humility. The program is celebrated for advancing reconciliation by reducing alienation between the justice sector and Indigenous communities by many community leaders, including Senator Murray Sinclair.
In the long term, the program’s goals are to combat the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth in the justice system, and to cultivate a more inclusive, diverse, and empathetic legal profession.
Students In Action
Resources For Teachers
Teachers play an important role in the delivery of IYOP. Level aims to support our program’s supervising teachers with a suite of resources that will help facilitate and support the delivery of the program in their classroom.
Digital Curriculum
Our online Indigenous Youth Outreach Program provides culturally-relevant justice education for Indigenous youth.
IYOP Overview
Interested in learning more about IYOP? This resource provides a program overview, including the program’s goals and rationale, and provides details on how IYOP works in the classroom.
Supervising Teacher’s Guide
This guide outlines the roles and responsibilities of a Supervising Teacher in the delivery of IYOP. This includes an overview of the program, suggested agendas, tips on working with your local Program Leader, program links to elementary curriculum, and a primer on Indigenous customs, practices and protocols for those seeking to increase their knowledge.
IYOP Info for Parents
This resource can be shared with your students’ parents/guardians so they understand what the program is about. This document also contains a copy of our media release forms for parents to sign.
Interested in Hosting IYOP in your Classroom?
Reach out to our Director of Programs at the contact info below!
Get Involved
Contact your local Program Leader
Are you a law student, lawyer, or other legal professional interested in volunteering for IYOP? Reach out to your local Program Leader! Note: Toronto's program is led by Caitlin MacDonald our Program Manager (contact information below).
Bios coming soon:
- Daniel Cox, Thunder Bay Program Leader
- Dale Lediard, Christian Island Program Leader
Request an Indigenous Youth Outreach Program in Your Community!
To explore the possibility of launching IYOP in your local community, contact:
