Indigenous Voices: In Conversation with our Delegate Speakers

13:12 - 13:42, 19 September
Palais des Congrès
JCCM Entrepreneur Stage

This session will follow the Plenary Challenge on the Presentation Stage, giving attendees the opportunity to participate in a Q and A session with Delegate Speakers covering Indigenous Voices.

Speakers

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Commissioner, Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Commissioner, Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

Malagan everyone, I am a proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman, advocate for Human Rights, author, lawyer, and have recently been appointed as the Inaugural Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People. From experiences in Out Of Home Care and facing injustices to becoming a Commissioner, Vanessa has devoted her life to empowering Indigenous self-determination and fighting for justice for First Nations people and children in Australia and worldwide.

Vanessa is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in advocating for human rights, particularly focusing on First Nations children and young people, global Indigenous rights, and transnational solidarity. I completed my qualifications in Law, Social Work, and First Class Honours from the University Of New South Wales, and have decided to complete my PhD on the side of a busy world and life.
Justin Langan

Executive Director of O'KANATA

Justin Langan

Executive Director of O'KANATA

Justin Langan is a 25-year-old Métis, LGBTQ2+ national activist from the rural town of Swan River. He is the Curator of the Indigenous Film Archive, and the Executive Director of O'KANATA, a federal non-profit dedicated to advancing Indigenous youth prosperity. Some of his personal achievements include the 2021 Métis Youth Indspire Award, the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, the Top 25 Environmentalists under 25, the National Champion of Mental Health for Youth, and more. He is entering his fourth year of majoring in political studies and will use his knowledge to become a more decisive leader within his community. He hopes to become a lawyer and politician who advocates for Canadians' rights internationally, where he can create the most effective change. Some of his interests include volunteering on committees and councils, working out, photography, watching movies, going out with his friends, and working on philanthropic projects. He has worked with Indigenous youth and students since 2015 and understands how to teach and mentor them with the knowledge he has gained through his journey as an Indigenous activist.
Senchhen Hangma Limbu

Assistant/Intern, LAHURNIP (Lawyer's Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous People)

Senchhen Hangma Limbu

Assistant/Intern, LAHURNIP (Lawyer's Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous People)

Senchhen Hangma Limbu is an undergraduate student from Nepal studying law in National Law College (NaLC) which is affiliated to Tribhuwan University, one of the most influential Universities of Nepal. Her pursuance for Academic reformation of the curriculum of undergraduate course of study focusing on the scrutiny of regressive set of state colonial study system has landed her opportunity to cooperate with legal institution working in the interests of the Indigenous People’s Rights such as the Lawyer’s Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous People’s (LAHURNIP). The initial days her associate degrees in law and her keen interests towards Public Interest Litigation served her motive in receiving formal trainings from Public Interest Litigation expert organizations such as PIL-net and the LAHURNIP. In community her ground work include assistance in conducting policy dialogue with the government (lobbying) along with the various Institutions working in the interests of the Indigenous People of Nepal (NIDWAN , NIWF , NEFIN , YFIN ) along with LAHURNIP in association with the Australian Embassy. Since her formative school days, she has been using art as a medium for advocacy receiving grants for best illustration by the AEIIC , Japan. As of now she practices digital illustration and has been indulged in advocacy against systematic state oppression and academic reformation.
Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Fialho is an indigenous leader of the Terena people, born in the village of Bananal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. She is a biomedical doctor, master and PhD student in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). Maricelma is dedicated to research into infectious diseases, with an emphasis on fungi that cause systemic mycoses, which mainly affect rural indigenous communities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maricelma established partnerships with institutions and managed to distribute alcoholic beverages and food to indigenous villages, benefiting hundreds of families. Additionally, she is treasurer of the Terena Institute of Intercultural Education and a volunteer for the Brazilian Red Cross, working as a translator of the Terena Language.

Representing Brazil at the Youth Leadership Coalition (IYLC) Latin America, Maricelma participates in global discussions on civic and political participation. Her efforts include educational initiatives and distribution of computer equipment to promote digital inclusion. Maricelma also organizes sporting events in her Bananal village, with a focus on reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption among young indigenous people. Its main objectives are to improve basic sanitation, indigenous health, offer English courses and improve sports infrastructure for young people.
Larissa Crawford

Founder of Future Ancestors Services

Larissa Crawford

Founder of Future Ancestors Services

Larissa Crawford proudly passes on Métis and Jamaican ancestry to her children, Zyra and Ātea, and is a published Indigenous, anti-racism, and climate justice researcher, policy advisor, and restorative circle keeper with over 15 years of experience (at 29 years old, that's over half her life!). Larissa is also the Founder and Managing Director of Future Ancestors Services, a next-generation speakers bureau.

Future Ancestors Services is a small social enterprise that has emerged as an industry leader in connecting clients and audiences with diverse entrepreneurs offering speaking and training services, with over 400 clients across Canada and internationally. Specializing in community impact, sustainability, Indigenization, disability, and more, the voices they represent are charting futures that inherently respond to our most pressing systemic challenges.

Larissa's journey in addressing systemic challenges has included starting a library in Accra, Ghana at 16 years old; studying international law and volunteering in Istanbul, Turkey; graduating Summa Cum Laude from a Double Major Honours B.A. in Communication Studies and International Development Studies (York University); representing Canada at several global United Nations and G7 events; and a diverse score of competitive fellowships and scholarships that focus on policy, governance, climate change, and Indigenization.

Her expertise is profoundly shaped by the qualifications borne from her lived experience as an Indigenous and Black woman; a survivor of sexual violence and poverty; a person living with chronic pain disabilities and brain damage; having lived in both rural and urban settings; and as a young mother of two. Beyond her role as a labourer, Larissa is an avid rock climber and native plant enthusiast.

One Young World Summit Montréal/Tiohtiá:ke, 2024

Indigenous Voices: In Conversation with our Delegate Speakers

Speakers