Meet the participants of Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2024
Eight remarkable young Indigenous leaders from across Canada have been invited to meet with the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples on October 30 for this year’s Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders.
This annual event spotlights First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth aged 18 to 35 who are making a difference in their communities. They are invited to share their leadership experiences, stories and calls to action to help inform senators’ work.
Read more about this year’s Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders participants below.
Bradley Bacon (Quebec)
Bradley Bacon works as an Innu translator and interpreter in his community of Unamen-Shipu, Quebec. He started getting involved in his community when he was 16 years old, first assisting with mass and then interpreting for the priest. He was elected board chair of the community radio station and then selected to participate in Quebec’s youth parliament. He is the owner of a consulting company that provides different services to members of his community. Bradley says he is inspired by his father, who was a band leader, and he hopes to inspire young people to get more involved.
Justin Langan (Manitoba)
Justin Langan is a Métis youth advocate from Swan River, Manitoba, dedicated to empowering Indigenous communities through education, sustainability, and cultural preservation. Currently leading O’KANATA, a non-profit organization focused on supporting Indigenous youth, Justin draws inspiration from his community’s resilience and the teachings of his Elders. He aims to amplify Indigenous voices, promote sustainable development and create opportunities for future generations to thrive while preserving their cultural heritage.
Crystal Starr Lewis (British Columbia)
Crystal Starr Lewis comes from Vancouver and the Squamish Nation. She is a British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Youth Representative and a new first-generation speaker of her language. Crystal lives by the sayings, “Be the change you want to see, lead by example and take action.” She has worked with various levels of government and helped create an impact on a provincial, national and international scale, and more.
Breane Mahlitz (Alberta)
Breane Mahlitz is a health policy advisor at the Métis National Council. She is committed to transforming health outcomes for her people. Her community ties fuel her passion to closing health gaps and creating culturally safe, distinctions-based care for Otipemisiwak (Métis people). She is dedicated to advancing transformative solutions that bring about real change. She is currently undertaking an Indigenous Public Health graduate program to strengthen this vital work.
Faithe McGuire (Alberta)
Faithe McGuire is a documentary filmmaker from Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement who creates films about her people and what it means to identify as Métis. The Métis were long referred to as the “forgotten people,” a label that Faithe says has impacted the youth in her community and how they value themselves. She uses photography and film to tell her people’s stories, and she hopes that more education can help Métis youth become passionate about their history.
Reanna Merasty (McKay) (Manitoba)
Reanna Merasty (McKay), B.Env.D, M.Arch, MRAIC, is a Nihithaw artist, writer and advocate from Barren Lands First Nation and an architectural intern with Number TEN Architectural Group. She has dedicated her career to amplifying Indigenous voices, knowledge systems and sustainability in architecture, which is inspired by her upbringing in northern Manitoba. Reanna furthers this dedication to her community as the Manitoba director with the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada Board and as a member of the University of Manitoba Board of Governors.
Ethan Paul (Nova Scotia)
Ethan Paul is Mi’kmaw from Membertou First Nation who serves on the Students on Ice Alumni Council and the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council. Ethan leads community projects, including a sexual health book club called Books + Pitewey, the Shaylene Paul Memorial Regalia Lending Library and a Mi’kmaq seafood cookbook. Ethan is inspired by his late grandparents Ma’kit and Melvin, Uncle Danny and cousin Shaylene. Ethan hopes to inspire cultural pride in L’nu youth, contributing to a safer, stronger and culturally rich future for the community.
Brett Recollet (Ontario)
Brett Recollet is Anishinaabe from the Whitefish River First Nation on Manitoulin Island. As an Indigenous support worker for a school board, he advocates for Indigenous students through the western education system. He has a college diploma in social service work from Georgian College, and he is working on an Indigenous social work degree at Laurentian University, with plans to pursue graduate studies focusing on cultural safety in Indigenous education. He has sat on various councils and committees at a community, provincial and national level. His mother inspired him to be a leader for his community.
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Meet the participants of Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2024
Eight remarkable young Indigenous leaders from across Canada have been invited to meet with the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples on October 30 for this year’s Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders.
This annual event spotlights First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth aged 18 to 35 who are making a difference in their communities. They are invited to share their leadership experiences, stories and calls to action to help inform senators’ work.
Read more about this year’s Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders participants below.
Bradley Bacon (Quebec)
Bradley Bacon works as an Innu translator and interpreter in his community of Unamen-Shipu, Quebec. He started getting involved in his community when he was 16 years old, first assisting with mass and then interpreting for the priest. He was elected board chair of the community radio station and then selected to participate in Quebec’s youth parliament. He is the owner of a consulting company that provides different services to members of his community. Bradley says he is inspired by his father, who was a band leader, and he hopes to inspire young people to get more involved.
Justin Langan (Manitoba)
Justin Langan is a Métis youth advocate from Swan River, Manitoba, dedicated to empowering Indigenous communities through education, sustainability, and cultural preservation. Currently leading O’KANATA, a non-profit organization focused on supporting Indigenous youth, Justin draws inspiration from his community’s resilience and the teachings of his Elders. He aims to amplify Indigenous voices, promote sustainable development and create opportunities for future generations to thrive while preserving their cultural heritage.
Crystal Starr Lewis (British Columbia)
Crystal Starr Lewis comes from Vancouver and the Squamish Nation. She is a British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Youth Representative and a new first-generation speaker of her language. Crystal lives by the sayings, “Be the change you want to see, lead by example and take action.” She has worked with various levels of government and helped create an impact on a provincial, national and international scale, and more.
Breane Mahlitz (Alberta)
Breane Mahlitz is a health policy advisor at the Métis National Council. She is committed to transforming health outcomes for her people. Her community ties fuel her passion to closing health gaps and creating culturally safe, distinctions-based care for Otipemisiwak (Métis people). She is dedicated to advancing transformative solutions that bring about real change. She is currently undertaking an Indigenous Public Health graduate program to strengthen this vital work.
Faithe McGuire (Alberta)
Faithe McGuire is a documentary filmmaker from Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement who creates films about her people and what it means to identify as Métis. The Métis were long referred to as the “forgotten people,” a label that Faithe says has impacted the youth in her community and how they value themselves. She uses photography and film to tell her people’s stories, and she hopes that more education can help Métis youth become passionate about their history.
Reanna Merasty (McKay) (Manitoba)
Reanna Merasty (McKay), B.Env.D, M.Arch, MRAIC, is a Nihithaw artist, writer and advocate from Barren Lands First Nation and an architectural intern with Number TEN Architectural Group. She has dedicated her career to amplifying Indigenous voices, knowledge systems and sustainability in architecture, which is inspired by her upbringing in northern Manitoba. Reanna furthers this dedication to her community as the Manitoba director with the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada Board and as a member of the University of Manitoba Board of Governors.
Ethan Paul (Nova Scotia)
Ethan Paul is Mi’kmaw from Membertou First Nation who serves on the Students on Ice Alumni Council and the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council. Ethan leads community projects, including a sexual health book club called Books + Pitewey, the Shaylene Paul Memorial Regalia Lending Library and a Mi’kmaq seafood cookbook. Ethan is inspired by his late grandparents Ma’kit and Melvin, Uncle Danny and cousin Shaylene. Ethan hopes to inspire cultural pride in L’nu youth, contributing to a safer, stronger and culturally rich future for the community.
Brett Recollet (Ontario)
Brett Recollet is Anishinaabe from the Whitefish River First Nation on Manitoulin Island. As an Indigenous support worker for a school board, he advocates for Indigenous students through the western education system. He has a college diploma in social service work from Georgian College, and he is working on an Indigenous social work degree at Laurentian University, with plans to pursue graduate studies focusing on cultural safety in Indigenous education. He has sat on various councils and committees at a community, provincial and national level. His mother inspired him to be a leader for his community.