“We know the statistics – that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of school; and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.” - President Obama
I packed up our bikes and took one of my participants to a provincial park. I told him to be careful on the trail. It curves as it goes downhill. He said Ok. He stood up on the bike, leaned forward on the bars, and opened his arms instead. I could see how free he was in those moments. Then my mind had an intrusive thought. Statistically speaking, he might not live to the age of 25
““We know the truth—our Indigenous boys are more likely to grow up without stable homes, without fathers, and without the care they deserve.
They are seven times more likely to be murdered, five times more likely to die by suicide, and far more likely to die from addiction before they reach adulthood.
They are overrepresented in prisons and underrepresented in classrooms.
They are more likely to live in poverty, to suffer in silence, to be failed by systems built to forget them.” — Based on Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, and Indigenous Services Canada reports
It’s 3 AM. I woke up crying a couple of hours ago. 4 out of the 20 kids in my program aren’t expected to live to the age of 25. I’m still haunted by what that corrections officer said to me when I asked him if he had any Scared Straight tactics for youth. He told me that I am wasting my time, it’s us vs them. My boys aren’t the problem. They’re in conflict with the law because of the problems.
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Systemic Incarceration
Indigenous youth make up over 50% of youth in custody, despite being only 8% of the population. They are more likely to be incarcerated than to graduate high school in some regions. -
Intergenerational Trauma
Impacts from residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and child welfare apprehensions continue to fracture family systems and create instability. Many youth are raised in environments marked by grief, addiction, and historical disruption—not by choice, but by design. -
Education Inequity
Indigenous youth are less likely to complete high school, and many face systemic racism in schools that pushes them out. Chronic underfunding of schools on reserves contributes to poor educational outcomes. -
Mental Health Crisis
PTSD, depression, and anxiety are underdiagnosed and undertreated. Access to culturally safe care is often nonexistent or inconsistent. -
Addictions & Substance Exposure
High rates of exposure to addiction in the home. Early substance use, particularly with meth, opioids, and alcohol, is often normalized as a coping mechanism. -
Housing & Food Insecurity
Many Indigenous youth experience unstable housing, overcrowding, or foster care drift.
Hunger and poor nutrition are ongoing barriers to mental and physical development.
I have 15 out of 20 participants enrolled in my program right now. Only 2 of them have a father in the home, and they’re brothers. I’m that figure in my program for them. I only have them until they turn 13. Then it is up to them to stay out of juvenile detention. To stay in school. To stay away from drugs and gangs when those industries are being pushed on them. The little man I spent time with yesterday thinks that being native means that he has to be solid. To be a thug like the men in his music. He expressed that is not who he wants to be. We are showing them what their identity truly is. Trying to reclaim the indian in them. I really think I got through to him today. I got him to see his future as something worth fighting for.
My work feels like life or death in this moment. In case we need to know, I’m a youth mentor at a non-profit. I mentor Indigenous males ages 8-12. September is my one-year anniversary. It’s been a fight building that program, as it was just restarting. Now the program is built. It’s time to focus on the mentoring.
My little man opened up to me about so much. He needs so much healing. I’m going to teach him how to make a tobacco tie and how to ask our elder at our feasting ceremony in two weeks to pray for his sister, who started her spirit journey in May. Then ask him to fan him down. His father is not in the picture because of domestic violence. His sister passed away from an overdose. His mother battles addictions. The odds are not in his favour. This breaks my heart. This kid is innocent. He’s only 11.
He kept playing this song on the car ride:
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