Osgoode’s Winkler Institute hosts youth-driven workshop on First Nations justice issues

This week in Thunder Bay, Ont., more than 25 Aboriginal youth from across the province will gather to develop ideas for technology solutions that aim to improve youth access to justice in their communities in a way that is reflective of Aboriginal experiences and responsive to Aboriginal traditions.

Funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario, and organized and designed by the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, this youth-driven and -centred workshop will help accelerate the implementation of the recommendations found in Feathers of Hope – Justice & Juries: A First Nations Youth Action Plan for Justice. A Youth Leadership Team, comprised of Aboriginal youth from Ontario, will facilitate and direct the workshop.

This workshop, titled “Aboriginal Youth: Designing a Better Justice System,” aims to create a safe and supportive space for Aboriginal youth participants to take ownership over the exploration of technology as a means to address issues related to the justice system and police relations. It will culminate with a listening table comprised of a wide range of justice stakeholders, community members and leaders, who will be presented with the ideas and prototypes by the youth that have been developed and designed in the days prior.

This project is planned in close collaboration with the Ontario Justice Education Network, Justice For Children & Youth, and the Feathers of Hope initiative (supported by the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children & Youth).