Our registered charity number is: 846394922 RR 0001

Kocihta has a national focus to build healthy and resilient Indigenous youth that will contribute to the building of inclusive workplaces and healthy, sustainable and resilient Indigenous communities.

Approximately 50 per cent of the Indigenous youth in Canada, by no choice or fault of their own, are living in poverty – some in third-world conditions. This socio-economic crisis presents barriers to their education and employment, and their overall physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness.

Indigenous people are the fastest growing population in Canada with 50 per cent under 25 years of age. The median age is 27 compared to 39 for the Canadian population at large. By 2026 more than 400,000 Indigenous youth will enter the labour market in the next decade. The current education system is not meeting their needs and new innovations are needed to advance Canada’s Indigenous workforce.

Canada’s economic future will rise or fall, depending on how well we collectively and effectively include Indigenous youth into the workforce, in particular through meaningful careers of their choice.

The May 2014 UN Special Rapporteur’s report, [1]The situation of Indigenous Peoples, examines the human rights of Indigenous Peoples and summarizes the “notable episodes and patterns of devastating human rights violations.”

The report states: “the most jarring manifestation of these human rights problems is the distressing socio-economic conditions of Indigenous Peoples in a highly developed country.”

[1] Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya Addendum - The Situation of Indigenous peoples in Canada* - May 2014

Learn more... download pdf: Why Support Kocihta.

Video presentation by Cindy Blackstock, First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, Canada.