If you’re working with Two Spirit or Indigenous Queer Youth you will need more than good intentions. You need an understanding of the inter-generational effects of colonization with impact to Two Spirit, Indigiqueer, and LBTTQ* people. And that doesn’t come from a quick Google or Chat GBT search or a diversity checkbox. It comes from sitting with elders and knowledge keepers and listening to stories, challenging assumptions, and doing the work.
That’s where the Indigenous Perspectives Society’s (IPS) steps in.
This full-day course, All My Relations: Supporting Two Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ* Youth, Is a transformative learning experience rooted in Indigenous knowledge, lived experiences, and collective healing. If you’re ready to move beyond performative allyship and into real, grounded action, here’s what you can expect, and why it matters.
- You’ll Learn to See Identity Through an Indigenous Lens
The training opens with an invitation: understand identity not through a Western lens but through Indigenous worldviews that honour fluidity, history, and community roles. You’ll explore terms like “Two Spirit,” “Indigiqueer,” and “Coming In” terms that carry generations of cultural knowledge and healing.
Why it matters: Respecting identity means understanding the language and stories that shape it. It’s the foundation of safe, inclusive spaces.
- You’ll Confront the Impacts of Colonization
This training doesn’t shy away from the hard truths. You’ll examine how colonization imposed rigid gender roles and erased Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality. You’ll also consider how institutions from schools to healthcare continue to marginalize Indigenous 2SLGBTQ* youth.
Why it matters: You can’t support youth if you don’t understand the systems they’re navigating, and resisting.
- You’ll Hear Directly from Indigenous Voices
What sets this course apart? It centres lived experience. A panel of Two Spirit, Indigiqueer community members, and Elders share stories that are raw, resilient, and radically humanizing. This is not theory course but an opportunity for real stories and lived experiences to be shared.
Why it matters: Personal narratives connect the dots between history, policy, and everyday life. They shift hearts and rewire assumptions.
- You’ll Reflect on Your Role as an Ally
Allyship isn’t a label, it’s a practice. The course asks you to reflect: What does allyship look like in your workplace? In your family? In your community? What gaps exist in your services? And what are you prepared to do about it?
Why it matters: Change begins with self-awareness. The training gives you tools, asking for action.
- You’ll Leave with More Than Notes, You’ll Leave with Purpose
From the “Umbrella of Resilience” activity to hands-on group discussions, you’ll engage intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. This course equips you with strategies for advocacy, policy development, and relationship-building. You don’t just learn about resilience. We aim for you become part of it.
Why it matters: The youth in your life, workplace, or community are looking for adults who get it. Be that adult.
Why You Should Register
The need is urgent. Indigenous 2SLGBTQ* youth face disproportionate rates of homelessness, violence, and mental health challenges. They also carry immense wisdom, strength, and vision for a better future.
You can be part of that future. Whether you’re a teacher, social worker, policymaker, or community member, this course will leave you better equipped to support and uplift Indigenous youth.
2SLGBTQI* (Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Indigiqueer, * refers to all other beautiful beings in the extended family)