Aboriginal Youth, the Criminal Justice System, and the Evolution into a Better Canada
In a country where our education, laws, and overall societal structures are based on a colonial perspective, Harold Johnson offers an Aboriginal outlook on how First Nations people have lived and struggled under a colonialist Canada. In his book Two Families: Treaties and Government, Johnson examines several issues faced by Aboriginal people today and how a colonial system still contributes to the despair of many First Nations people in Canada. One of those issues Johnson discusses is the negative implications for many Aboriginal youth. Everyday Aboriginal youth face many problems including an over representation in Canada’s criminal justice system, poverty …show more content…
This will give them purpose, motivation, and inspiration to contribute to a Canadian society. All of this starts with the development of Aboriginal youth. They represent an important piece of Canada’s future. However, Aboriginal identity is not something that Canadian institutions or government can teach or instill in Aboriginal youth. Beyond the dissolution of assimilation efforts there are very limited things that can be done besides encouraging Aboriginal youth to return to their traditions and culture. Aboriginal culture must be returned and instilled by Aboriginal elders. They possess the history and knowledge to educate their youth. In addition, although the government cannot facilitate and transfer cultural knowledge, they can provide the necessary resources to aid Aboriginal education. Recognizing this, the Canadian government published an interesting article titled “Aboriginal children: the healing power of cultural identity” on the government of Canada website. In this article, the government not only recognizes an Aboriginal identity issue, they also recognize that they must let Aboriginals facilitate their own education. The article claims, “the key to fostering identity is to have Aboriginal communities develop solutions they know will work best for their children” (Canada, 2013). Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of Aboriginal elders and how they can help Aboriginal children learn “South Slavery, the language originally spoken on the reserve” (Canada,
In a country where our education, laws, and overall societal structures are based on a colonial perspective, Harold Johnson offers an Aboriginal outlook on how First Nations people have lived and struggled under a colonialist Canada. In his book Two Families: Treaties and Government, Johnson examines several issues faced by Aboriginal people today and how a colonial system still contributes to the despair of many First Nations people in Canada. One of those issues Johnson discusses is the negative implications for many Aboriginal youth. Everyday Aboriginal youth face many problems including an over representation in Canada’s criminal justice system, poverty …show more content…
This will give them purpose, motivation, and inspiration to contribute to a Canadian society. All of this starts with the development of Aboriginal youth. They represent an important piece of Canada’s future. However, Aboriginal identity is not something that Canadian institutions or government can teach or instill in Aboriginal youth. Beyond the dissolution of assimilation efforts there are very limited things that can be done besides encouraging Aboriginal youth to return to their traditions and culture. Aboriginal culture must be returned and instilled by Aboriginal elders. They possess the history and knowledge to educate their youth. In addition, although the government cannot facilitate and transfer cultural knowledge, they can provide the necessary resources to aid Aboriginal education. Recognizing this, the Canadian government published an interesting article titled “Aboriginal children: the healing power of cultural identity” on the government of Canada website. In this article, the government not only recognizes an Aboriginal identity issue, they also recognize that they must let Aboriginals facilitate their own education. The article claims, “the key to fostering identity is to have Aboriginal communities develop solutions they know will work best for their children” (Canada, 2013). Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of Aboriginal elders and how they can help Aboriginal children learn “South Slavery, the language originally spoken on the reserve” (Canada,