day there will be a generation that will 
come to heal and come to terms [with] 
what has happened with their people and 
start to create good change for our people 
from things that have been frozen in 
time,” he explains. 
Kataquapit also notes that the reality 
of working within modern political 
structures can be frustrating at times. For 
example, to serve on the Ontario First 
Nations Young Peoples Council, a youth 
must first represent a regional council like 
NAN before advancing to the provincial 
level with the Chiefs of Ontario, which 
at times can create barriers to other youth 
advocating for similar causes. 
At NAN, Kataquapit notes that 
youth are heavily involved with decision-
making throughout discussions. 
However, at higher provincial levels, 
he shares that the weight of youth-led 
decisions becomes less pressing, with 
other issues taking precedence for various 
reasons. This reality inspired the creation 
of the Okinawak Youth-led Movement, 
which bypasses traditional organizations 
to create direct change. By proving they 
could stand on their own feet, Kataquapit 
and his peers earned the opportunity to 
represent their community at the UN 
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
“At the United Nations, my core 
message was that we shouldn’t rely 
solely on government mechanisms or 
organizations,” Kataquapit says, stressing 
that real change comes from the people. 
“A 13-year-old in my community, 
Shannen Koostachin, successfully 
campaigned for a new school after a 
diesel spill contaminated the old one. 
We should be doing the work on all sides 
rather than relying on these organizations 
to deliver it for us.”
Looking ahead, Kataquapit hopes 
to see holistic change that includes 
tearing down internal barriers within 
Indigenous communities. “I want our 
older leadership to recognize that youth 
are giants too, and to support us as we 
climb the next rungs of the ladder,” he 
says. “The hardest part of this battle has 
not been the government. It has not been 
Canada. It actually came from our own 
people, our own leadership that tried to 
get in our way.”
Despite these challenges, Kataquapit 
remains steadfast in his mission and 
offers powerful advice to other First 
Nations youth who want to get involved 
in advocacy. “Believe in the power of 
your own voice,” Kataquapit concludes. 
“It doesn’t have to be the loudest, the 
strongest, the most influential. It just 
needs to be spoken. Every step you take, 
even if you are walking blindly, will bring 
you toward your destiny.”  
 
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Issue 1 2026 – Chiefs of Ontario Advocate magazine  l   31
“We should be doing the work on all sides 
rather than relying on these organizations to 
deliver it for us.”
– Ramon Kataquapit

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