b'KNOWLEDGE KEEPERSBraidingKeepers with the youth, she explains. The youth are our leaders of tomorrow, and Knowledge Keepers ensure our cultural values are intact and [that] were Leadersbraiding in our identities and taking care of those prayers and those sacred things.Part of the sectors core goals for their Together first year of operation includes ensuring the programming has vital funding, solidifying governance policies for the councils and rolling out lunch and learns, as well as inviting nation members Chiefs of Ontarioand youth leaders to discuss ideas for being more inclusive of Indigenous launches newspiritual practices and legal orders in Knowledge Keeperthe current governance work, just as the ancestorsdid.and Youth Sector Trudeau remembers the first governance and leadership training they BY OSCAR BAKER III had in Sault Ste. Marie, where an Elder was teaching, despite his own health A ngela Trudeau has spentlevels of policy making with Indigenousissues. What she remembers most is the pride he had in the youth for learning much of her life blendingknowledge and youth input, upliftingthose teachings.together different waysthe lived experiences of KnowledgeI find [the work of this sector] of knowing, and as theKeepers while also creating pathwaysrewarding because it ensures our inaugural director of the Knowledgefor youth to engage, lead and thrive inKnowledge Keepers are heard and are Keeper and Youth Sector for the Chiefscommunity-driven solutions. The sector[sharing] their expertise, says Trudeau. of Ontario (COO), she hopes to braidis another measure to ensure policyBut were also building the future with together the strengths of the two groups.making is adhering to the Chiefs ofour youth. She adds that shes honoured Her vision for the sector is to showcaseOntarioCharter. to serve both youth and Knowledge the gifts from both Knowledge KeepersThe work that we are doing is cross- Keepers through the new sector.and youth leaders, ensuring the nation sectoral, says Trudeau. The KnowledgeTrudeau has a goal of using two is healthy. Keepers and Ontario First Nationseyes to blend western and Indigenous Were inclusive of everybodyYoung Peoples Council (OFNYPC)knowledge to advance Indigenous law. involved; nobody gets left behind andare in all facets of the work that we do:Shes hopeful that she can use education everybody has a say in these importantsocial, health, economic development,in her role to inform allies and the public discussions, says Trudeau.education, policy, communication andalike. One of the major questions at the Trudeau has spent nearly 20 years indata governance, women and Two-SpiritChiefs of Ontario is, How do we infuse cultural and spiritual resurgence focusingpeoples and the Leadership Council,more of the real history of our First on policy in Indigenous governance. Shesand [this sector is] a tremendous stepNations people in Ontario? Anishinaabe with family connectionsforOntario. For now, Trudeau is grateful to work to Serpent River First Nation but,As COO gets ready to celebratewith the likes of Tracy Antone, COOs because of the Sixties Scoop, grew uptheir 50th anniversary in June, TrudeauChief Operating Officer, and other like-in Michigan. Trudeau is also a Mastersays this new initiative is a vital wayminded individuals hoping for a brighter of Business Administration candidateto integrate and weave traditionalfuture for the First Peoples of Ontario.at Simon Fraser University. Afterknowledge into everything they do. I found my home at the Chiefs of COO announced the creation of theFor me, this is super important workOntario, and I look forward to the Knowledge Keeper and Youth Sector lastbecause we are bridging the Knowledgefuture, she concludes.year, Trudeau was promoted to help steer the ship. The Knowledge Keeper and YouthWere inclusive of everybody involved; Sector is an intergenerational space rooted in the strength of First Nationsnobody gets left behind and everybody has a cultural values and teachings combined with the voices of youth. The sector issay in these important discussions.a part of COOs plan to integrate all - Angela Trudeau30l I ssue1 2025C hIefs ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazIne'