Meet the Current Indigenous Youth Cohort
Introducing the teams of Indigenous youth leaders who are advancing clean energy projects grounded in kinship, mentorship, and a shared energy future.
Jana Sasakamoose | Soaring Prairies
About Jana
Jana is a proud mother of 6 and stepmom to 2, hailing from the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation. She is currently completing her Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Mathematics and Statistics, Geographics, and Social Justice. Jana is one of the first First Nation women accepted into the Math and Stats Graduate program at the University of Regina, and has been breaking down barriers as an Indigenous mother through her entire education journey, raising her children without ever stopping her work and learning.
Jana is open about her story of overcoming adversity and experiencing generational trauma and colonialism that impact her life, her family, and her loved ones. She has vowed to use her education and ambition to ensure her children never face the same hardships and despite all that she has gone through, Jana always finds a way to give back. Whether it is volunteering or paying it forward to others by donating each time she receives a scholarship, Jana plans to uplift her community and break the cycles of trauma to create a better future for all Indigenous people.
Soaring Prairies | ImaGENation Project
Soaring Prairies aims to create an energy-efficient year-round greenhouse to promote food and energy sovereignty in the community and at the school within Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation. The vision for the project is to reclaim ancestral knowledge by offering traditional teachings through gardening, hide tanning, medicines, Elders’ circles, and Ceremonies. Soaring Prairies will incorporate hydroponics and additional clean energy and energy efficiency options will be looked at to help grow healthy foods and medicines. The Soaring Prairies project will offer a sustainability curriculum, work experience, and quality nutrition to Indigenous students of all grades. Jana will be working alongside an elder who has space and has been offering teachings at the school, with plans to provide lunch for students such as traditional soups and other foods for students to take home.
Support Soaring Prairies
Soaring prairies requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas: sustainable greenhouse design, energy efficiency and retrofits, project management, community engagement, Indigenous governance, traditional food systems, sponsorship and fundraising.
If you are interested in supporting Soaring Prairies, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Austin Zacharko | SOMBO Energy
About Austin
Austin is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and holds his heritage in high regard. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors, which often includes rock climbing, backcountry hiking, multi-day canoe trips, and snowboarding.
Austin is a registered E.I.T. with APEGA after completing his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta as well as his M.Eng in Sustainable Energy Engineering at Carleton University. Through these programs, Austin has developed a strong understanding of a broad range of topics related to sustainability, climate change, and clean energy.
Austin has gained experience from working in government, academia, consulting, industry, and with NGOs. He serves on the board of directors at Foundation for Environmental Stewardship, a national charity focused on sustainability education and supporting grassroots organizations. Currently, he works with SunGrid as a Business Development Associate where he supports the development of grid-scale energy storage projects.
SOMBO Energy | ImaGENation Project
Sombo Energy is an Indigenous-owned, not-for-profit renewable energy development organization, with a vision of accelerating the energy transition and catalyzing reconciliation. The project aims to develop a 100MW Solar and BESS facility in Alberta. The funds generated from the sale of electricity will help SOMBO serve its mission to educate youth, reclaim land, and support other Indigenous-owned clean energy projects.
Support SOMBO Energy
SOMBO Energy requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas: Business development, financing, partnerships, policy, project development, project management, renewables operations & management.
If you are interested in supporting SOMBO Energy, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Shane Monague | Ziigwan Gitigaan
About Shane
Shane is a proud Anishinaabenini from Beausoleil First Nation. He has spent the last decade utilizing personal experiences and skills working in various capacities within the broader indigenous community. Shane advocates for and works to advance the health and well-being of our environment and indigenous youth with an Indigenous Assets-Based Community Development (IABCD) approach. He has completed a 1-year internship within the energy sector as part of the Generation Power program through ICE. Currently he is working within his community both professionally and as a volunteer with a focus in decolonized community building, language revitalization, cultural integration, and sustainable development.
Ziigwan Gitigaan | ImaGENation Project
Shane’s ImaGENation project aims to create a cultural space that will reconnect community members with traditions, language, and promote community heritage to visitors of Beausoleil First Nation. The project aims to empower local indigenous community capacity in addressing food insecurity within Beausoleil First Nation with the construction of year-round greenhouses to grow and distribute traditional medicines and food staples to community members.
The project will provide community members and local knowledge keepers a dedicated space to hold ceremonies and gatherings which are integral to the healthy development of the community. Working with Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous community members and a passion for community, Shane hopes to help alleviate household expenses for families while promoting community self-sufficiency and Anishinaabe cultural wisdom. The Gitigaan ("Garden" in Anishinaabemowin) will be a space for and by community.
Support Ziigwan Gitigaan
Ziigwan Gitigaan requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Project Management, Technical Specifics, Indigenous Governance, Research & Development, Economic Development, Greenhouses and Sustainable Food
If you are interested in supporting Ziigwan Gitigaan, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Bohdana Innes | Healing Our Home: mînawâcihiwewi-ne-wîkiwnan
About Bohdana
Bohdana Innes is Cree from Moose Cree First Nation of Moose Factory. Born in Moose Factory and raised in Wawa Ontario, Bohdana is proud of her mixed heritage background of Cree, Ukrainian, and Scottish. She currently lives in Sudbury, on Anishinabek Territory, as she completes her Master’s degree in architecture at the McEwen School of Architecture.
Bohdana holds a Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Indigenous Studies. She is currently in her final year of her Master’s program at the McEwen School of Architecture. Along with studying at McEwen, she is pursuing her Passive House Design certification. Bohdana’s Indigenous heritage has been a driving force in her interest in researching Indigenous cultures across Canada, which led her to pursue her passion in Indigenous architectural design.
She has worked continuously throughout her professional career to gain knowledge in the Indigenous process and design. Bohdana is also interested in sustainable design strategies and modern construction methods, which will allow her to bring different expertise to future projects with First Nation communities.
Healing Our Home | ImaGENation Project
With the Healing Our Home project, Bohdana aims to design a prototype home and housing development plan in Moose Cree First Nation, reflecting community needs, values, and traditional knowledge.
The project is informed by community engagement with the Moose Cree First Nation and honours the way of living in the Mushkegowuk Territory. In partnership with the Child & Family Services department, the project will address a critical need for housing in the community and provide a home for children in foster care.
The purpose of the project is to empower Moose Cree First Nation and other Indigenous communities to build homes that reflect their community and their land by integrating design knowledge with Indigenous knowledge.
Supports Required
Healing Our Home requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Energy efficiency, building science, housing development
If you are interested in supporting Healing Our Home, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
The Nimkii Youth Collective
ImaGENation Project
The Nimkii Youth Collective is bringing solar and wind power to an off-grid, year-round cultural land camp on the territory of Serpent River First Nation. The clean energy will provide electricity to a structure that provides space for cultural activities and teachings, water pumps for a garden, and possibly replace a diesel generator that will be used for back-up only. The goal of the Nimkii Youth Collective is to revitalize language and culture in a sustainable path. The land camp is a youth-led initiative to reclaim ancestral knowledge, offering traditional teachings through gardening, hide tanning, medicines, Elders circles, and Ceremonies.
Quinn Meawasige | Nimkii Youth Team
Quinn Meawasige is 28 years old and is Ojibwe from Serpent River First Nation. His community is located along the North Shore of Lake Huron and is a signatory of the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850. Quinn graduated from Algoma University with a Bachelor of Arts in Community Economic and Social Development (Honours) and a Certificate in Anishinaabemowin from Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig.
Upon graduation, Quinn was a founding member of the Nimkii Youth Collective, an Anishinaabe youth, language, culture and arts collective whose goal is Anishinaabe land-based language and cultural revitalization. He lives at Nimkii Aazhibikoong, an off-grid, year-round, lands-based language and culture camp in his territory. Quinn works towards the realization of food sovereignty for his community as a pathway to land restitution and reclamation. He is an active land user through subsistence harvesting and by navigating the ancient waterways of his peoples who came before him.
Taryn Bobiwash | Nimkii Youth Team
Taryn Bobiwash is an Odawa and Ojibwe member of the turtle clan from Serpent River First Nation. She is an amateur hide tanner, full spectrum doula, Indigenous breastfeeding councillor, multi disciplinary visual artist, and graduate of Algoma University with a BA in Anishinaabemowin and Psychology. She is dedicated to reclaiming Anishinaabemowin and the traditional artforms and birthing practices of her nation. She is passionate about reproductive education, soil health, and learning with and from the land.
Supports Required
The Nimkii Youth Collective requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Community Energy Planning (CEP), Demand-Side Management (DSM), Energy Storage, Microgrids & Smart Grids, Passive Solar, Renewables Operations & Management
If you are interested in supporting The Nimkii Youth Collective, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Brian Pottle | imakGen
About Brian
Brian Pottle is an Inuk from the communities of Postville & Rigolet in Nunatsiavut, Labrador. While Brian's background is in electrical engineering, he is directing a non-profit based out of Nunavut which is endeavouring to create makerspaces across the territory in hopes of empowering youth in Nunavut, especially Inuit youth, to pursue their dreams.
imakGen | ImaGENation Project
imakGen seeks to research and develop a non-mechanical water-powered electric generator, which contrasts contemporary water turbine designs. imakGen will explore a new way to deliver electricity to remote and coastal communities, a NOVEL electric generator for use in salinated ocean water, simulation software to streamline the design process, and develop proof of concept for a potentially sustainable, low cost, and low maintenance source of energy.
Supports Required
imakGen requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Business Development, Energy Storage, Building Science, Entrepreneurship, Project Development, Renewables Operations & Management (O&M), Transmission
If you are interested in supporting imakGen, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Mitchell Souliere-Lamb | The Clean Boating Project
About Mitchell
Mitchell Souliere-Lamb is a First Nation student in his second year of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He is originally from Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island. Mitchell noticed a lack of indigenous students in STEM and hopes that he can be a model for Indigenous youth. He would like to design and build things in his career to benefit society and bring justice to all Indigenous people in Canada.
The Clean Boating Project | ImaGENation Project
The Clean Boating Project will explore the potential to utilize solar energy to power a boat with either panels on the boat or a charging station to power the boat. Models for the boat will also be explore, either being a pontoon boat or an aluminum fishing boat. The end goal is to utilize the prototype to teach Indigenous youth and community members of Wikwemikong about clean energy, electrical, and mechanical systems by integrating the knowledge learned in school curriculum and/or presentations.
Supports Required
The Clean Boating Project requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Procurement, Marine Inspection & Certification, Community Engagement, Solar, Operations & Management, Engineering
If you are interested in supporting The Clean Boating Project, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Sagkeeng Youth Group
ImaGENation Project
The Sagkeeng Youth team is advancing the build of a sustainable greenhouse in Sagkeeng First Nation. The project is launched with the support of Sagkeeng Anicinabe Highschool, where the greenhouse will offer sustainability curriculum, work experience, and quality nutrition to Indigenous high school students. Sara and Tikkan have taken a leadership role to drive this project forward according to their community values, keeping kinship as the center of the project. The project plan is informed by community engagement sessions, incorporating youth voices and feedback, building relations with high school staff, visiting local food producers to share knowledge, and engaging with elders to reclaim Indigenous teachings and nutrition.
Sara Fontaine | Sagkeeng Youth Group
Sara Fontaine is an Anishinabe Ikwe from Sagkeeng First Nation, Treaty 1 Territory in Manidooba, Kanata. She has participated in Canada World Youth, a youth exchange program, where she facilitated a drop-in for disadvantaged youth for three months and then worked in a village in Kenya, Africa for three months. She graduated locally in 2015 and did an education upgrade at Native Education College in Vancouver, BC where her passion for environmental protection began.
Sara is currently a representative for Sagkeeng Youth Group, a grassroots initiative within her community focused on youth empowerment and community betterment. Her goal within this group is to introduce food security along with recycling, composting, and clean energy projects that ensure sustainability. She wishes to create a life skills land-based program that is introduced into the school curriculum to ensure the longevity of knowledge and land-based skills.
Sara has participated in Motivate Canada’s VIAYouth Summit and CANDO’s Youth Summit and economic development-related programming. She has taken part in the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Youth Forum and Training and the “Building your Bundle” training from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women. Sara is on the path to making her vision a reality for a sustainable future for Sagkeeng.
Tikkan Morrisseau | Sagkeeng Youth Group
Tikkan is an Ojibwe woman who was born and raised in Sagkeeng Mb. Treaty 1 Territory, where she currently resides and works with elementary children as an Education Assistant. She, along with fellow Indigenous youth from her community, had initiated a garden project in 2017 and donated the year's harvest to the community schools. It was from this project she was inspired and since then, she hopes to create a sustainable environment for future relations and beings, and to empower and encourage those she meets along the way. She is excited and thankful to be a part of ImaGENation’s first cohort and for the opportunity to learn and work with fellow Indigenous youth and knowledge keepers.
Supports Required
Sagkeeng Youth Group requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Microgrids & Smart Grids, Greenhouses & Sustainable Food, Culture & Traditional Knowledge, Financing, Energy Efficiency
If you are interested in supporting Sagkeeng Youth, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Jayden Fisher | GBFN Green Generation
About Jayden
Jayden is a member of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation), an Ojibway Community, located on the Western Shoreline of Lake Nipigon in Northwestern Ontario, signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty. Jayden is a Teaching Assistant in her community as well as a freelance Designer and Animator with an Advanced Diploma in Interactive Media Development from Confederation College.
From a young age, Jayden has been very passionate about living sustainably and engaging her peers to live more eco-conscious. From starting up a greenhouse and recycling program while in high school and recently working on a food security project in Gull Bay consisting of a community garden, greenhouse, and local food market, she is always up to the opportunity to create experiential and meaningful connections for her community.
Jayden believes in building strong relationships between young people and their communities. Connected, cherished, and confident teens will choose a healthy life now and in the future. When she isn’t busy working, her hobbies include writing, painting and bingeing on many tv shows and movies. She’s a person of few words, but beneath that calm exterior beats the heart of a very passionate individual. Jayden is creative, works hard, learns quickly and constantly strives to grow through new experiences.
GBFN Green Generation | ImaGENation Project Summary
The purpose of the GBFN Green Generation project is to promote and educate on the topic of recycling to the community of Gull Bay First Nation (GBFN). Through awareness, engagement, and learning, the GBFN Green Generation hopes to reclaim the community’s role as stewards of the land for current and future generations. The project will facilitate engagement through school curriculum, youth-led presentations, and workshops led by experts in recycling to guide a waste audit and recycling plan that tackle issues currently affecting the environment.
Supports Required
GBFN Green Generation requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Business Development, Community Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Financing, Project Development
If you are interested in supporting GBFN Green Generation, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Mathieu Katekiashka Germain-Goodman | Kokom Organizations
About Mathieu
Mathieu Germain-Goodman is a strong, passionate Montagnais man who grew up on Anishinaabe territory. As founder of Kokum Donations, Mathieu has organized donation runs in Wemotaci providing necessities to single mothers. With an extensive background in carpentry, Mathieu’s dream is to create tiny home blueprints that are accessible to Indigenous communities.
Kokom Organizations | ImaGENation Project Summary
The purpose of the Kokom Organizations ImaGENation project is to build dialogue on sustainable energy and traditional living through a film documentary. By visiting Indigenous communities both rural and urban, the dialogue is being filmed to share inspiration for Indigenous youth and future generations. The documentary follows Mathieu building relationships through first-hand experiences and storytelling about land-based livelihoods, traditional teachings, hunting, sustainable living practices, and Elder-youth wisdom and connection. Through filming real day-to-day living, the documentary will showcase ideas about food sovereignty, affordable housing, and how we can live sustainably with the land.
Supports Required
Kokom Organizations requires mentorship expertise & services in the following areas of clean energy: Community Engagement, Culture & Traditional Knowledge, Partnerships, Technical Drawings, Film Post-Production, Financing, Sustainable Film Project Locations
If you are interested in supporting Kokom Organizations, please submit an Expression of Interest form here.
Interested in supporting ImaGENation Teams through collaboration or partnerships?
We are always open to exploring various ways to support the Indigenous youth teams on their project journeys. This includes collaboration with, and not limited to, project advisors, technical consultants, webinar speakers, student teams / Capstone projects, trades programs, and more.
Please contact Program Director, Alexandra at athomson@indigenouscleanenergy.com for further discussion.