b'2022 INDSPIRE LAUREATESYOUTHFIRST NATIONShayla Oulette-StonechildMuscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation, SK Art has the ability to enhance the well-being of an individual, the collective society and mother earth. Art connects me with my ancestors from the past, heals me within the present and allows me to make space for the future.Shayla Oulette-Stonechild knows firsthand that art is a powerful transforma-tive forceand she lives that truth every day. A finalist for Miss Teen Canada, Oulette-Stonechild is an actor, a yoga instructor, and a wellness advocate. She is also the founder of the Matriarch Movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis through meditation. A graduate of the Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts, Oulette-Stonechild co-hosts APTNs popular and award-winning Red Earth Uncovered with Tom Jackson and has appeared in numerous series, including Siren and Klondike. HELLO! Canada magazine named her an Indigenous Star and Indigenous Influencer, and she has established numerous partnerships with organizations like RBC, Joe Fresh, Right to Play and Lululemon. In March 2021, Oulette-Stonechild became the first Indigenous woman to ever appear on the cover of Yoga Journal. A dynamic motiva-tional speaker, she facilitates workshops in First Nations communities and uses her public platform to advocate for Indigenous rights and life promotion.YOUTHINUIT Melissa Attagutsiak Iqaluit, NUIve always known my whole life that I wanted to work for myself, but it took a little while.Melissa Attagutsiaks career exemplifies the importance of realizing and then following your dreams. While following another career path, she realized that her true passion was designand so she embarked on her current vocation as an acclaimed multimedia artist and fashion designer. She is the artist behind the brand Nuvuja9, creating Inuit-inspired garments and wearable artwork with sealskin, fox fur, leather, caribou antler, baleen, beads and ivory. Nuvuja means cloud in Inuktitut, and when her clients wear her brand she wants them to feel as though theyre on Cloud 9.Attagutsiak is vocal about the traditional materials she uses and explains the vital importance they have to Inuit culture. Quoted in Fashion Canada magazine as Splitting Hairs, Melissa was also featured in Inuit Art Quarterly and Up Here magazine. Her work has been displayed at fashion and trade shows across Canada and internationally.An alumni of EntrepreNorths Circumpolar Fashion Cohort, Attagutsiak is currently enrolled in Nunavut Arctic Colleges Fur Production and Design program learning traditional Inuit skills and contemporary design. She felt it was important to go back to school to build onto her existing proficiency. Through her work, she feels connected to her roots in Nunavut, and hopes to instil a sense of confidence in those who wear her designs.30indspiration2022'