• A major goal is to help youth reconnect with the Ancestral knowledge around salmon (spiritual, emotional, cultural connections and knowledge). This includes learning traditional harvesting methods, participating in cultural ceremonies, and understanding Indigenous laws and protocols of different Nations.
• Storytelling, language, ancestral practices, and spiritual ceremonies are core elements to teach youth about the deep cultural connections Indigenous peoples have with salmon.
• Encouraging Place-Based Learning and Community Involvement:
  • There was a strong emphasis on place-based learning, with youth engaging directly with the land and water through visits to salmon camps, fish camps, and ancestral territories. 
  • The goal is to ground youth in the places where they live and learn from their communities, fostering a deep connection to the environment and cultural traditions.

• A central aim of the project is to cultivate leadership skills in youth, empowering them to advocate for salmon and the environment. Advocacy can take many roles, which can inlcude public speaking, writing, relationship building, and organizing. Mentorship, and leadership training are mentioned as ways to help youth find their way of advocating and become advocates for salmon conservation at both local and international levels.
• Youth would also learn how to navigate political and environmental systems, gain confidence in communicating their ideas, and become future stewards of their communities.
• Building a Peer Network of Youth Leadership and Advocacy
  • This work requires a network of connected people in order to be successful. Networks of youth must be encouraged and built up across salmon systems. We will focus on the Yukon River system but recognize salmon are connected across the west coast of North America.

• The project aims to teach youth not only through intellectual and practical methods but also through emotional and spiritual understanding. Salmon are viewed not just as food but as beings with whom people have a relationship. This deeper, emotional learning will help youth internalize the importance of salmon and their role in ecosystems and communities.

• A goal of the project is to also prepare youth with employable skills, from practical jobs related to salmon (like fish processing and smoking) to more technical skills like GIS mapping and outdoor recreation training. This aligns with the project’s focus on long-term sustainability for both the youth and the salmon ecosystems they aim to protect.

• Learning from and with salmon based on Ancestral knowledge and best available scientific knowledges.

We will promote kindness in our work. We see this as a type that promotes complex safety in our work, yet does not mean we will not challenge our boundaries and have difficult conversations – sometimes with those of opposing worldviews. We will hold empathy for those we work with who may be experiencing intergenerational trauma. We will acknowledge this does not mean 

“Radical Kindness is something people should do automatically.” – Matty Mead

Active work to help with: Lateral kindness training, anti-colonial / oppressive work, safe / brave place training, emotional competency training

Respect is widely talked about by Elders within the Yukon as a principle one must live one’s life by. Here we hope to apply it to the Salmon program and our work. We will hold respect for one another, each other’s words, and all we work with, human and non-human.

Aiming to embody when in leadership, public spaces, our work, to always give Respect to everyone first. It can be difficult to maintain.

We need to have respect for ourselves and all people, from littlest thing upwards.

“Elder’s teach us that respect is the first thing to be taught. To each other and Elders but to land and water and animals.” -Mackenzie

Active work to help with: Anti-colonial training, active listening / engagement, Elders teachings, respect animals

We aim to be inclusive rather than exclusive. The work and journey we are on is one that should be shared, where appropriate. Too often work that is done is behind closed doors and only accessible to those with the privilege to work with it and live within it. We honor the words of Elders and all people must work together.

We need to be active in sharing what we do in the program.

Is built through trust, which takes active effort. “…give that respect to everyone no matter what..” -Keyshawn Sawyer

Active work to help with: Recognize it takes time, newsletters, social media

We will care for one another in this often challenging, if rewarding work. Recognizing the deep need for self-care, program care, and empathy. We will also aim to care for those we work with.

Care requires connection, vulnerability, and holding one another up rather than competition.

Caring spans across generations.

Self-care and community-care are intermingled.

“I’m grateful my grandmother is still here and I’m able to care for her.” – Zakalya Netro

 “Rac(ing) isn’t about the finish line but the experience you have with the race.” – Juliette Greetham

“If I take care of myself, hopefully it teaches others how to take care of themselves” -Nika Silverfox-Young

Active work to help with: Laughing with people when mistakes are made.

We will be teachers in our work and connect with other teachers. We will seek to educate participants, ourselves, and others as appropriate. 

Teaching our values is important in a good way.

We should teach with kindness and love.

“One of the people there (fish camp) came over and said you have to look beyond what you see and smell… this animal gave its’ life so your friends and family could eat.. After that it (teaching and respect) really clicked.” – Johnathan Robinson

“I want to model this through patience.” –  Carissa “Ékè Éwe” Waugh

Active work to help with: Teaching/learning from one another, fish camps

What may not help: Starting from place of ‘you did this wrong’