The first Feathers of Hope forum was held over five days between March 24 and 28, 2013. A second, “mini”-forum, was hosted in Kashechewan First Nation, in July of that year. At that first forum, 150 young people from 62 First Nations communities in Northern Ontario shared their lived experiences, spoke about issues of importance to them and voiced the results of their discussions with representatives from First Nations leadership, provincial and federal levels of government and other stakeholders in attendance.

We heard from young people at the forum that all levels of leadership in government must ensure our communities have basic provisions such as schools, safe housing, clean water, and secure access to affordable, nutritious food. “Feathers of Hope: A First Nations Youth Action Plan” that came out of this report focused on 15 key themes that were brought forward at this forum.