b'YOUTH PROFILEYouth ProfileQ&A with OFNYPC co-chair Tehya Quachegan BY NIKITA DAYT ehya Quachegan is the co-chair of the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council (OFNYPC), the official youth voice for the 133 First Nations in Ontario. She is from Moose Factory in NAN terri-tory. Quachegan also serves as the Ontario representative on the National Youth Council at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).Can you share the journey that led you to become co-chair of the OFNYPC and the Ontario representative on the AFN National Youth Council? What inspired you to take on these leadership roles?Tehya Quachegan: I guess its a little bit more unique in Ontario, in that you actually have to sit on three councils to be on the National Youth Council. I worked as a summer student right out of high school, actually at Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN). So that is our political tribal organization and thats where I started off. I worked in the Community Wellness Department for two summers, and that was mostly working with the crisis teams or the Choose Life teams, which is for suicide prevention. Then in 2020 I decided that I wanted to apply for Youth Council because I had seen them during my time working at NAN. I saw that they were sitting there at the Chiefs assemblies and I saw that they would put on youth gatherings. I felt really inspired by just the fact that they were able to be present in this organiza-tion, have their voices heard, and I wanted to be part of that. So I was accepted and joined in the summer of 2020, and then from there the opportunity came to sit on the Ontario youth council in 2022. In 2023, we held our elections, and that is when I became co-chair, and then the Ontario representative on the National Youth Council. So it actually took me over three years, but during that time I worked on my portfolios. They were mainly around community, wellness, education and environment. Being from Moose Factory, how have your experiences in northern Ontario shaped your perspectives and approach to leadership and advocacy?Tehya Quachegan at the 2024TQ: I actually left Moose Factory when I was three years old to National Wellness Gathering forgrow up in Thunder Bay, and that was because my parents went to Indian Residential School Survivors.university in Thunder Bay and had job opportunities there. They Residential schools is Tehyas AFN youth council portfolio. wanted us to grow up with more opportunities. So we moved to Thunder Bay, but we still visited Moose Factory often. I didnt get to really go on trips to tropical places or Disneyland like people in my class did. We were always going to Moose Factory. All my grandparents are still there, so I still visit often and Im really close with them. I consider both places my home. I think growing up in Thunder Bay exposed me to Indigenous advocacy more than 24l I ssue1 2024/25C hIefs ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazIne'