Three-quarters of Indigenous youth optimistic reconciliation will happen in their lifetime, according to poll

Almost three-quarters of Indigenous youth who took part in a new survey said they are optimistic there will be meaningful reconciliation in their lifetime.

The online poll surveyed 1,377 youth and found 73 per cent of Indigenous youth and 68 per cent of non-Indigenous youth felt somewhat or very optimistic aboutthat outcome.

The Canadian Youth Reconciliation Barometerpoll was conducted by Environics Institute for Survey Research to measure youthperspectives on reconciliation. The poll was created in collaboration with Canadian Roots Exchange and the Mastercard Foundation.

The online poll surveyed682 Indigenous and 695 non-Indigenous youth (ages 16 to 29), distributed across the 10 provinces and three territories between March 22 and April 29.

The sample wasrepresentative by region, community type,genderand Indigenous group (First Nations, Mtis, Inuit), based on 2016 population statistics. The survey was conducted in English and French.

Max FineDay, executive director of Canadian Roots Exchange, a non-profit organization aimed at building relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, saidhe was ready for bad news but was pleasantly surprised at the positivity reflected in the survey responses.

"Indigenous young people and non-Indigenous young people are extraordinarily optimistic and are extraordinarily positive about the future of meaningful reconciliation being achieved in their lifetime," he said.

FineDay,who is Cree from the Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan, was also one of the interim directors of theNational Council forReconciliation.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which aimed tobring to light the legacy of the residential school system and the intergenerational impacts on Indigenous communities, released itsfinal report in December 2015 with 94 Calls to Action specific actions needed to advance reconciliation.

The aim of the poll was to create a baseline ofdata to gauge progress on the state of reconciliation among youth.

Despite the hardships and disparities that are still seen in Indigenous communities, FineDay saidthe optimism reflected in the survey answers is encouraging.

"Indigenous youth particularly are still willing to reach out their hands in peace and friendship and hope, waiting for Canada to grasp it and say 'OK, we're gonna get this right,'" FineDay said.

He saidthe hope for this research is that it will be used to help influence decision making and conversations happening at the federal and provincial level, where the voices of young people are often left out.

The results

There were six areas of focus in the survey: Indigenous and non-Indigenous connections, perspectives on Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations, treatment of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, perspectives on reconciliation, personal involvement with reconciliation and life goals and aspirations.

The report found that, regionally, Indigenous youth in the Prairie provinces (especially Saskatchewan and Manitoba) were more likely to have connections with non-Indigenous people and were also more pessimistic about the current state of relations and treatment of Indigenous people.

"They are also most likely to report involvement in reconciliation activities while less apt to feel they can make a meaningful difference," states the report.

The report said non-Indigenous youth in the Prairies were among the most familiar with residential schools, but were "comparatively less sympathetic to this legacy and are also the most likely to express the view that Indigenous Peoples expect too much when it comes to acknowledging the past."

The report said non-Indigenous youth in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada werethe most positive, "but also less likely to consider themselves well-informed about the history and issues."

In the survey results, 84per centof Indigenous youth responded that Indigenous people are discriminated against sometimes or often, while about 75per cent of non-Indigenous youth said thesame.

Of non-Indigenous respondents, 82 per centsaid they believed the hardships facing Indigenous communities today are to some extent or great extent a result of government policies such as residential schools.

In the survey, 89 per cent of Indigenous and 87 per centof non-Indigenous respondents said it's very or somewhat important for all non-Indigenous Canadians to understand the true history of how Indigenous peoplehave been treated by governments and society.

Still work to be done

"There's a lot of change that really needs to take place," saidMegan Lewis, who waspart of Canadian Roots Exchange's Youth Reconciliation Initiative, where Indigenous and non-Indigenous youthtake part in reconciliation activities like cultural activities, education and community events.

"I do feel like as much as it's a personal journey,it also has to be led by government policies, laws, community organizations and institutions."

Lewis, 23, a Kanien'keh:ka woman from Tyendinaga, Ont.,saida lot of the questions,andthe Indigenous youth responses in the report, resonated with her.

"The more that people get involved and the more that people start to interact with different people in different communities, they'll really start to see the potential there and how possible is to make changes," Lewis said.