Executive Summary
The Land and Food Sovereignty Stream aims to increase opportunities for youth to participate in land-based programming, to learn about food and medicines, and to engage with knowledge keepers. In 2024, the Land and Food Sovereignty Stream distributed a total of $225,000 in funding to 12 Indigenous youth-led projects and initiatives. Creation received 21 proposals from 9 provinces and territories, representing a funding need of over $535,000.
Projects funded through the 2024 Land and Food Sovereignty grant focused on sharing cultural knowledge through land-based activities, with most projects specifically prioritizing knowledge related to traditional food systems. Grantees supported youth in developing skills like hunting and fishing, plant identification, tracking, and responsible harvesting of both plants and meats. Because so many project activities were outside on the land, weather was the most significant challenge youth leaders had to overcome. Participant safety meant cancelling and rescheduling activities when water and ice conditions were unsafe, or when temperatures reached extremes. Collaboration between project leaders, as well as partnerships with Elders and community members, made it possible for grantees to build flexibility into their planning, and enabled them to more easily navigate difficulties. In the end, project leaders found success in supporting youth in strengthening connections to land, culture, and to each other. Grantee projects saw success in increasing youth access to traditional knowledge and in supporting youth in building skills related to traditional foods systems, which youth leaders said directly contributed to increased food security and food sovereignty in their communities.
2024 Land and Food Sovereignty Stream Impact Report