Youth Rising Together held a rally in Mattagami First Nation to allow local First Nation youth an opportunity to show their support of grassroots youth movements. The event was led by youth organizers in Mattagami FN to give voice to young people in the community who are concerned about recent government legislation.

Chief Jennifer Constant spoke to the group and showed her support to First Nation youth as they voiced their concerns regarding legislation that will affect First Nation lands and rights in the future.

“It’s important for our leadership to support our youth. The youth taking a stand is always an important process to support. They are doing the advocacy that is innate in all Indigenous people. I feel that this is not just for Mattagami FN, but for all First Nations in general and also not just for those here today. These youth are speaking on behalf of their ancestors, for other young people and also for those generations yet to be born. We are honoured to stand with them today and participate in this youth rally,” said Chief Constant.

The event was started with a community lunch at the Binogeesh community centre. An opening prayer was provided by Elder Joyce Luke and speeches were made by Sierra Groulx, Ramon Kataquapit, Shem Mattinas, Elder Joyce Luke, Trenton Thomas, Tristan Ashishkeesh and Chief Jennifer Constant. The rally then marched from the community on the First Nation access road to Highway 144. They held a ceremonial tobacco laying to commemorate their rally.

“This is the first rally we have held for our group in our home community. We’re really happy to do this because it gives our young people an opportunity to come together to share their concerns because not all of us are able to attend rallies in big cities like Ottawa, Toronto or even in Timmins. So we wanted to bring the event to our young people so that their voices can be heard and allow them to talk about what is important to them,” explained 19 year old Sierra Groulx, a member of Mattagami FN.

Groulx is part of the Youth Rising Together youth movement and she was the lead organizer of the rally in Mattagami FN. The event was also in collaboration with Okiniwak, a First Nation grassroots youth movement led by Ramon Kataquapit of Attawapiskat FN and Kohen Mattinas of Lac Seul FN.

“We want to give a platform to First Nation youth in every community we go to. We want to share that youth voice with everyone, our leadership and our elders. Often we are told to just listen and follow but we started these youth movements so that our young people can be heard and share their message directly,” said Kataquapit.

He was also in the community to take part in Mattagami FN’s Annual Pow Wow as head dancer.

Youth Rising Together came about as a response to major government legislation including Ontario’s Bill 5 and Canada’s Bill C5. Ontario’s Bill 5, called the Unleashing Our Economy Act, is prioritizing resource development over environmental assessments and consultation requirements. The federal government’s Bill C5, called the One Canada Economy Act is being designed to fast track development projects, including mining and resource extraction, in special economic zones, many of which fall on First Nation territories.

Co-founder of Youth Rising Together, Shem Mattinas, a 17 year old member with roots in Moose Cree FN and Attawapiskat FN was on hand to speak to the gathering.

“This is a gathering to send a message that youth from all our communities are standing up and they all agree that these bills are not a good thing for us. The people who are making these decisions will not be the ones who will see the results of their work, it will be young people now that will be most affected in the future. That is why it is important to have rallies like this because we are educating our youth, supporting them and giving them space to speak out,” explained Mattinas.

The gathering was led in prayer and ceremony by Elder Joyce Luke, a past Chief of the community. She is part of a family of leaders from Mattagami FN including her daughter current Chief Jennifer Constant, her brother Chief Gerald Luke, their father Chief Alec Luke and grandfather Chief Andrew Luke, the first recognized Chief of Mattagami FN and signatory of Treaty Nine.

“My message to our youth is for them to stand strong. Our ancestors worked hard for what we have and our future generations need to do the same. These bills are a threat to our people, our lands, our way of life and our sovereignty. These government decisions also want to criminalize any opposition in the name of public safety and development but we know better when we have to stand up to say no. It is our sacred duty to protect the land,” said Elder Joyce Luke.

Ashishkeesh, who was part of a group of youth leaders who completed a protest walk from Timmins to Queen’s Park in Toronto this month, spoke to the gathering to offer his support and talk about their youth group Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-stamok (Uniting the People to Stand Together).

“Every one of us can become grassroots people and we can speak up for ourselves. We are not confined to a box or space to wait, we can speak for ourselves as grassroots people,” said Ashishkeesh.

Youth Rising Together was founded in June 2025 by lead organizers Katherine Jeremiah-Genier, a 24 year old youth of Missanabie Cree FN and Shem Mattinas, a 17 year old youth from Moose Cree FN and Attawapiskat FN.
Although originally founded as opposition against government legislation, the youth group is hoping to grow its advocacy to address other issues on environment, mental health and social issues. Supporters can find their most recent information on their facebook page at ‘Youth Rising Together’

Representatives of their group were on hand recently at the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN) General Assembly in Moose Factory where they took part in a youth workshop and rally on August 13. They will be holding an upcoming event on August 23 in Timmins.

Youth Rising Together is one of several groups of First Nation Youth movements protesting the government including Okiniwak, Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-stamok, and Here We Stand – Call To Action, a wilderness protest on the Attawapiskat River led by Jeronimo Kataquapit.