Indigenous youth worldwide embody resilience and hope, boldly navigating systemic challenges to champion collective action within their communities. Despite facing these complexities, their unwavering commitment to growth, empowerment, and aspiration shines through. Our Indigenous Youth Fellowship Program provides a supportive platform for these young leaders to amplify their voices and advocate for change.

Through Cultural Survival's Indigenous Youth Fellowship Program, we support the leadership of Indigenous youth in advocating and striving for new ways of safeguarding their lands, cultures, and languages. Here, we uplift three youth fellowship projects related to the revitalization of languages and cultures. 

February 21 is International Mother Language Day. It was first proclaimed in 1952 as "Language Movement Day" by Dhaka University students in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) who protested the suppression of their Bengali language. Police and military forces opened fire, killing many young people in attendance. 

In 2023, Cultural Survival received hundreds of applications from Indigenous youth who were interested in participating in our Indigenous Youth Fellowship Program. Our Fellowship Program supports young Indigenous leaders between the ages of 17-28, who are eager to learn about technology, program development, journalism, community radio, media, language revitalization, leadership development, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights advocacy. Since 2018, we have awarded 111 fellowships supporting 236 fellows.

A Bolsa para Jovens Indígenas da Cultural Survival apoia jovens líderes Indígenas com idades entre 17 e 28 anos que estão trabalhando em transformar suas comunidades e criar oportunidades para a elevação, defesa e fortalecimento de suas culturas e tradições, ao mesmo tempo em que desenvolvem suas habilidades de liderança, organização e gestão. Desde 2018, concedemos 111 bolsas apoiando 215 bolsistas.

Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Youth Fellowship supports young Indigenous leaders between the ages of 17–28 who are working to transform their communities and create opportunities for the elevation, defense, and strengthening of their cultures and traditions while developing their leadership, organizational, and management skills. Since 2018, we have awarded 111 fellowships supporting 215 fellows.

By Peter Kinyanjui (Gikuyu)

Por Cliver Ccahuanihancco Arque  (Quechua) e Carlos Madrigal and Carlos Madrigal (Mazahua/Jñatjo)

A diversidade de expressões identitárias tem sido um tema recorrente nos últimos anos. Conceitos e percepções foram estabelecidos sob os recorrentes efeitos da globalização no contexto urbano; no entanto, estes nem sempre respondem, traduzem ou incluem toda a diversidade que existe no mundo.

The diversity of expressions and manifestations of identity has been a recurring theme over time. Concepts and perceptions have varied in different contexts from urbanization to globalization. However, these do not always respond to or include all the diversity that exists in the world.

Indigenous women have managed to break many barriers and access spaces historically reserved for white men. They have positioned themselves as agents of change, incorporating ancestral knowledge from their communities. From medicine, art, gastronomy, music, to linguistics, these young women are leading movementns of resistance and transformation. Their impact on shifting current paradigms should be uplifted on every occasion.

On International Youth Day, Cultural Survival is pleased to announce our first cohort of 2023 Indigenous Youth Fellows as part of our Capacity Building Program.