Young accepts UN post

CHIPPEWAS OF THE THAMES – Brenda Young is on her way to Geneva, Switzerland in June after being accepted into the United Nations 2013 Indigenous Fellowship Program – an initiative that gives Indigenous Peoples the opportunity to gain knowledge of how the UN deals with human rights.
“There are many reasons why I applied to this particular program,” says Young who is a citizen of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation.  “Personally, I have been a defender of human rights since the first days of walking into kindergarten in a school located in London, Ontario.  Facing discrimination based on my race that led to physical confrontations because I knew I had nothing to be ashamed of.”
Young thought the program would be a great opportunity that would benefit the Southern First Nations Secretariat (SFNS) member Nations.
She is a lawyer by trade (also possesses five diplomas/certificates in various fields), is a commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation Tribunal and is currently employed as a Policy Analyst with the SFNS located on the Delaware Nation.
“Throughout my life I have been blessed with many opportunities and currently, with the support of Mike George (SFNS), another one is before me with this program.  I believe that as Indigenous Peoples we need to utilize all of the tools available to us in order to rectify the atrocities inflicted upon our ancestors and the violations of human rights that continue today through the Canadian government.”
The UN will also teach Young the mechanisms dealing with human rights in general and indigenous issues in particular so they can assist their organizations and communities in protecting and promoting the rights of their people.  In its first decade, more than 100 indigenous men and women from 46 countries undertook the program.  They have provided human rights training to more in their communities.
“While the United Nations may not be the answer to all of the problems it is the forum where Nation-to-Nation relations are discussed; there is much work to be done via the UN such as taking the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ensuring that the Declaration becomes a part of domestic law and/or ensuring that the Declaration becomes a Convention.”
She says that we need to be taking full advantage of having a voice in the UN forum and ensure that the Doctrine of Discovery is repealed.
“I am committed to this work and I am beyond excited about sharing this information throughout our Nations,” says Young.
The UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples will be held September 22-23, 2014.