Empowering young Indigenous Storytellers: The impact of the Voices of Future Generations Initiative.
Ontario Akwesasne, November 28, 2025
Since2021, the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada (NSSHFC) has proudly supported the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law’s Voices of Future Generations Children’s Initiative (VoFG CI)—a program dedicated to amplifying the voices, stories, and rights of Indigenous children and descendants of Sixties Scoop Survivors. Over the years, this initiative has become a powerful platform for storytelling, mentorship, education, and community connection.
Led by the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), the VoFG CI is rooted in the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC). Guided by an Indigenous Leadership Commission—made up of Indigenous leaders, including Sixties Scoop Survivors and descendants—the project uplifts young authors while honouring Indigenous rights, culture, and lived experience.
Program Advancements: September 2024 – August 2025
The initiative entered a new phase in fall 2024 with the development of a detailed work plan and outreach strategy co-created with the Indigenous Leadership Council (ILC). Together, the team launched the Call for Indigenous Child Authors in November 2024, which was shared widely across community and organizational platforms.
In January 2025, VoFG CI hosted an International Online Roundtable on Education and Children’s Rights, bringing together Sixties Scoop Survivors and descendants to discuss how education systems can better support Indigenous children. The event also celebrated The Brother’s Reunion by Sydnee Nisyok, winner of the 2023 writing competition.
By early 2025, the team expanded with the addition of an Indigenous Educator and Indigenous Outreach Officer—strengthening relationships with families, educators, and communities across the country. The writing contest closed in April 2025 with over 40 submissions from Indigenous child authors nationwide. Through April and May, the team provided mentorship to returning author Sydnee Wynter Nisyok as she began developing her second book, Coming Back Home.
In June 2025, the Indigenous Leadership Council selected the winners for the year’s competition. Winners were honoured with certificates, medals, books, and cash prizes, and their achievements were highlighted across VoFG CI’s social media and website.
This past August 2025, the new Indigenous Child Authors and Child Ambassadors were celebrated at the Intergenerational Roundtable on Indigenous Children’s Voices & Rights—a gathering of Survivors, Elders, educators, writers, and community leaders. The event also launched Sydnee’s second book, Coming Back Home, and feature an excerpt from Vienna Swampy’s winning story, The Land Before Us, now fully illustrated and prepared for publication.
Impact and Community Reach This program has directly supported 25 Sixties Scoop Survivors, families, and descendants, particularly through its hands-on mentorship of the contest’s young writers—each from families profoundly impacted by the Sixties Scoop. Their stories were strengthened through shared wisdom from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and community members, creating a collective process of healing and cultural reclamation.
Beyond these direct participants, nearly 200 more Survivors and family members attended online events designed to foster dialogue, understanding, and community connection. These conversations opened space for reflection, learning, and healing important steps in addressing the intergenerational impacts of the Sixties Scoop.
Legacy Through Storytelling
The stories emerging from this program explore themes central to Survivors’ journeys—reconciliation, reunification, displacement, healing, and justice. Once published, these books will serve as educational tools and cultural touchstones for generations to come, ensuring that these stories continue to guide, uplift, and empower Indigenous youth, families, and communities.
Storytelling remains. It is one of the most powerful ways to honour relatives, protect memory, and pass forward knowledge. Through the Voices of Future Generations Children’s Initiative, made possible through NSSHFC’s funding since 2021, young writers are building confidence, embracing identity, and finding strength in their roots. They are creating stories that matter, stories that last, andstories that carry their families’ truths with dignity and hope.
For more information about the Foundation please visit our website: https://www.sixtiesscoophealingfoundation.ca/
Legacy Through Storytelling
The stories emerging from this program explore themes central to Survivors’ journeys—reconciliation, reunification, displacement, healing, and justice. Once published, these books will serve as educational tools and cultural touchstones for generations to come, ensuring that these stories continue to guide, uplift, and empower Indigenous youth, families, and communities.
Storytelling remains. It is one of the most powerful ways to honour relatives, protect memory, and pass forward knowledge. Through the Voices of Future Generations Children’s Initiative, made possible through NSSHFC’s funding since 2021, young writers are building confidence, embracing identity, and finding strength in their roots. They are creating stories that matter, stories that last, andstories that carry their families’ truths with dignity and hope.
For more information about the Foundation please visit our website: https://www.sixtiesscoophealingfoundation.ca/
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