Global Indigenous Speaker Series: Ashley Cummings Indigenous Resiliency and Strength

Through beadwork, law, and auntie-love, from blocking pipelines to scraping hides, Indigenous people are showing the deep resiliency that flows through our veins. Indigenous youth are working hard to reconnect with our cultures and working to make our communities better. With all the hard work comes the challenges of identity politics, racism, climate emergencies, but we face it head on. In this talk, Ashley Cummings will discuss the incredible beauty and hardships in advocacy today. 

Ashley Cummings is a proud Inuk youth from Pangnirtung, Nunavut and currently lives in Whitehorse, Yukon. As an alumna of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council, Ashley advised the Prime Minister on issues that have included (but are not limited to) rural and northern health/well-being, supporting ethical and Indigenous-led tourism, hunter’s rights and other issues affecting youth across Canada. She has also served as co-chair of Kids Help Phone’s Indigenous Advisory Council as mental healthcare for Indigenous and rural communities is a key focus in her advocacy. Her colourful background living in Nunavut, Yukon, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick has given her a comprehensive perspective on life for Indigenous young people from coast to coast to coast. Ashley is currently working for the Training Policy Committee while studying for a BA, Indigenous Governance at Yukon University.