Youth programs
Learn how the Government of Canada is responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 66.
Based on data provided October 2025.
66. We call upon the federal government to establish multi-year funding for community-based youth organizations to deliver programs on reconciliation, and establish a national network to share information and best practices.
What's happening?
In 2019, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada launched an Indigenous youth-led pilot program, in partnership with Indigenous Youth Roots (formerly Canadian Roots Exchange), to test delivery of culturally competent programming for Indigenous youth. This interim response to Call to Action 66 aims to support the government's commitment to advancing the related goals of economic reconciliation, self-determination, co-development, and strengthening and rebuilding the Crown-Indigenous relationship with Indigenous youth.
The pilot program has been establishing strong pathways for Indigenous youth from across the country to come together, support each other, and engage with federal departments on key policy initiatives that impact them and their communities.
The delivery of culturally relevant programming and community-based events for Indigenous youth, combined with the relationships and networks fostered by Indigenous Youth Roots, have helped to build the capacity of Indigenous youth organizations, foster the integration of Indigenous youth voices in policymaking, and inform Indigenous recruitment strategies.
Recent budget investments
The pilot project has been extended on two occasions, including most recently in Budget 2024 ($12.5M in funding over 2 years, starting in 2024 to 2025).
Recent progress
Through the pilot program, Indigenous Youth Roots has implemented ambitious and innovative Indigenous youth-led activities, designed to inform recommendations on the full implementation of Call to Action 66. Examples of initiatives include:
- Creation Grants
- Indigenous Youth Policy School
- News & stories - Policy Forecast
- Culture and wellness programming
- Indigenous Youth Research Grants
- Black and Indigenous Solidarity program
- The Gathering (PDF)
Since 2019, Indigenous Youth Roots has reached 1.2 million Indigenous youth and community members. Almost 2,000 Indigenous youth have participated in policy and research programming, 30 Indigenous youth have been offered employment opportunities with the federal government and other agencies, and 18 Indigenous youth participants have been supported to move into part-time and long-term employment, including within their organization. Indigenous Youth Roots has also administered more than $9 million as grants to more than 1,400 youth leaders to run community projects. In 2023 to 2024 alone Indigenous Youth Roots provided $2,219,000 in grant funding to 292 Indigenous youth leaders to run community based projects and 599 Indigenous youth also attended 43 capacity-building and relationship-building workshops.
Indigenous Youth Roots continues the implementation of ambitious and innovative Indigenous youth-led activities designed to inform recommendations on the full implementation of Call to Action 66.
Next steps
The pilot program is in its final year. In addition to providing continued support for Indigenous Youth Roots, engagement sessions are being targeted with Indigenous-led organizations. These engagements aim to enhance the evidence and inform recommendations to the Government of Canada for a longer-term approach to Call to Action 66 that amplifies the perspectives of Indigenous youth in decision-making and advances youth priorities, as well as to explore opportunities to better leverage other related work (within the federal government and among Indigenous partners).