Great expectations

Page 5

Dear Editor:

Re: January 2004 edition article entitled "Youth should be heard." I am an almost-22-year-old Native female adult with big expectations of my First Nation and also myself. I do find it hard to be open with my chief and council because I strongly feel that they won't listen to what my visions are about, because truly they are stuck with the old ways.

I try my best to be heard because as an Aboriginal youth and mother of two by the age of 18, I'm a natural statistic. I want to see the best for my children. A lot of today's Aboriginal youth are giving birth to their first child by the age of 16. In some cases younger. I would say that would also [be the reason] why we aren't heard.

I would also like to point out that it is even harder to be understood and heard by the white government, because they fully just don't want to see our visions or understand us as a younger group of Aboriginal people because of long-time resentment.

-Leone Pawis

Shawanaga First Nation