SHEGUIANDAH—Xoë Roy is just now ending her term as the very first Youth Chief of Sheguiandah First Nation.
Xoë was 21 when she was elected (initially to a three-month term of office) in June of ’22. As a younger teen, she had been advocating for a Youth Council, “mostly among other youth,” she told The Expositor.
Eventually, the idea caught on and there was sufficient community and band council support to hold elections. Xoë was elected along with a Youth Deputy Chief, secretary, two treasurers and a grant researcher. Any community member and band member between ages 12-29 is eligible to vote their choices for Youth Council membership, with an election day and using traditional paper ballots.
After the first three-month term, Xoë and her colleagues had determined three months was too short a term to demonstrate accomplishments so the second term (just ending) was extended to six months and this time, Xoë was acclaimed to the Youth Chief’s position.
The Youth Council concept inspired the community’s Youth Worker at the time, Xoë explained, adding that, “I happened to be working with her at the time.”
The Youth Council idea caught fire at the same time as the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment-funded basketball court, part of the community’s youth initiative.
During her two terms, Xoë (who often attends meetings with Chief and Council) is pleased the Youth Councils have been successful in having more signs erected in the community stressing roadway safety for children. She notes Youth Council completed several events last summer in conjunction with staff at the health centre.
The Council hosted a haunted house event last October, held a scary movie night this month at the community hall and also hosted a drum social this winter.
Xoë observes that it’s satisfying that responsibility for events, like the annual haunted house and the Shta Taa Haa winter carnival in which herself, other members of the Youth Council and other young community members that they had all enjoyed as children, are now falling to them.
