Youth Programming

Empowering Future Leaders through Culture, Storytelling & Land-Based Learning

Overview

At INDIGENOUS LED, our Youth Program uplifts the next generation of Indigenous leaders through hands-on cultural immersion, mentorship, storytelling, and land-based education. We support Native youth in revitalizing traditions, overcoming intergenerational trauma, and stepping into their power as protectors and changemakers.

Photo by: Louise Johns

Our Goals

  • Strengthen Indigenous youth identity and confidence

  • Foster intergenerational mentorship and community connection

  • Promote cultural revitalization and Tribal self-determination

  • Build leadership grounded in traditional knowledge and environmental stewardship

2025 Youth Engagement Timeline

Mission Alignment

Our Youth Programs support INDIGENOUS LED’s core pillars:

  • Protect – Land-based learning, sacred law, conservation, and governance

  • Heal – Ceremony, storytelling, mentorship, and cultural practices as healing

  • Celebrate – Honoring youth as cultural knowledge bearers and leaders

Photo by: Morgan Newnham

Opportunities for Youth

Photo by: Louise Johns

Grow. Lead. Serve.
Explore ways to get involved and grow your skills:

  • Youth Camps – Learn from Elders, engage in land-based science, ceremony, and storytelling

    • Braided Science Camp – July 2025

    • Healing Camp – August 2025

    • Apply for a camp here.

  • Scholarships
    2025 Indigenous Youth Scholarship

    • Open through May 16, 2025

    • 4 Scholarships at $1,000 each

    • Apply now!

  • Internships
    Launching April 14, 2025

    • Assist with camps, media, or conservation projects

    • Earn service hours + mentorship

    • Receive mentorship + a certificate of completion 

    • Learn more & apply here!

  • Community Service
    Contribute to events like Iinnii Days, cultural ceremonies, or community dinners

    • Verified service hours

    • Resume-building & leadership recognition

    • Recognition as a young Indigenous leader 

    • Get involved here!

Podcast Episode 3: Empowering indigenous youth

Photo by: Louise Johns

At the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, a conversation unfolds with Sara Little Bear, Youth Programs Manager at INDIGENOUS LED. She shares her role in designing and launching seasonal land-based camps that deepen Native youth’s ecological and cultural knowledge, emphasizing the vital role young people play in conservation. Youth participants speak about their experiences and aspirations, highlighting the importance of cultural preservation, youth engagement, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. The episode centers the power of youth voices in informing conservation and celebrates the healing strength of Indigenous cultures.

why it matters

Photo by: Christopher Carter

These programs aren’t just about events—they are about belonging. They prepare youth to reclaim ancestral knowledge, restore community, and shape a future rooted in cultural values and Indigenous leadership.

Contact us.

Sara Little Bear
Youth & Community Engagement Manager
sara@indigenousled.org