As Canada approaches its 147th birthday, longstanding inequalities affecting First Nations children, youth and families linger as successive governments have failed to implement solutions to address the problem. As politicians focus on incremental equality, children and young people in Canada are working together in a spirit of active reconciliation  to thread principles of justice and equity across all areas of experience for First Nations peoples. Dr. Blackstock’s Big Thinking lecture will describe the issues that the children are concerned about, the peaceful and progressive actions they are taking to address the problems and the results of their collective works.

A member of the Gitksan Nation, Dr. Blackstock has worked in the field of child and family services for over 20 years. An author of over 50 publications, Dr. Blackstock’s key interests include exploring, and addressing, the causes of disadvantage for Aboriginal children and families by promoting equitable and culturally based interventions.

Current professional interests include holding fellowships with the Ashoka Foundation, J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the Trudeau Foundation.

See here for additional information about Cindy Blackstock, compiled by Brock University Library.

In English. Simultaneous interpretation available via cell phone.

To view the presentation, click here (.pdf).

The video of this Big Thinking lecture is now available below:

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Big Thinking

The Big Thinking lecture series is held throughout Congress and is open to all attendees and members of the public. This series brings together leading scholars and public figures who can present forward-thinking research, ideas and solutions to the critical questions and issues of our time. The 2014 Big Thinking lecture series is organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and Brock University.

See the complete list of Big Thinking lectures...