Young Warriors of Turtle Island
About us, for us!
Ages 5 to adult
VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
Child Safety
Should anyone endeavour to volunteer their time to help GROUPS of children get through their activities, we prefer that group leaders already be employed by an organization that has a duty to report child abuse and requires Vulnerable Sector Safety checks from their employees.
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We want parents to know that we are not responsible for individuals claiming to run a Young Warriors group. Instead, what you will see is an existing organization incorporating our program into their existing activities. If you have any questions about this, please contact us. Your child is free to complete his/her activities through any knowledgeable individual - your child is not required to 'report' to anyone - this will become clear once you see the program set up.
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There is no requirement for a child to be a member of an organization; all activities can be done individually or with parental assistance using what we know to be available in most communities and the internet.
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Once our group leader training sessions have been completed we will post the names of these individuals here on our website.
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No organization is permitted the use of our name in any fundraising activities. If you have doubts, please contact us and we will have our legal team look into it and report the fraudulent activity to the appropriate authorities.
​Our "Staff"

We have no staff. We are three homeschooled kids who needed to find something to do with the next two years of our lives because we wanted to try an ordinary mainstream high school but were rejected for enrollment in our community and in Ontario because we are too young. We can't go to high school until September 2018 so we will be here with you basically 24/7 until then. (But our experiences during this 2 year period and options we have discovered may mean we continue not attending regular school).
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Our mom is helping us out to start then we have to take over everything when we are old enough.
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We are hoping to survive on donations for this group because the registration fees only cover the rewards we need to have made to cover what we think you will do in a year.
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Our "Classroom" Blog
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Our new app has a public blog site where we can share some success stories with the world. If we can find someone who is not too shy, these stories will come directly from them; otherwise we will share general information about what has been happening or our own pics and stories of the things we are doing! (We will be respecting the privacy wishes of parents and organizations but we will share some stats as we go...)
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ABOUT
Young Warriors Of Turtle Island
**UPDATE**
We have grown so much in unexpected ways behind the scenes over the last year!
- an organization has registered "its" children with us
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- we have an adult version of Young Warriors in its pilot stages due to many requests and interest expressed by another organization and we are already seeing great things unfold! This program is called "WARRIORS of Turtle Island" of course!
- we will have a pilot of young children starting shortly!
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- we will soon be providing training for several group leaders about how to use our materials and the philosophy and methodology behind it!
- we are officially assessing our adult tasks against the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework and our traditional skills and tasks are proving that our indigenous knowledge systems easily meet and surpass expectations (many of these apply to the tasks we had set aside for our youngest members = great preparation!)
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- AND our materials can now be found on an app downloadable on any device!
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What is happening?
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We are seeing many of the outcomes we expected but also witnessing some pleasant surprises.
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We are seeing independence grow before our eyes.
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We are seeing people learn about the past for the first time.
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We are seeing people learn about Canadian laws that affect them and their children in real life.
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First Nations people are learning traditional arts and skills!
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We are seeing the birth of entrepreneurial skills - people are learning skills that are tweaking their interests in working for themselves.
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Our registrants are discovering ways of coping with anxiety through the skills they learn.
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We see people reconnecting with elders.
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People are learning their language again. One registrant in particular was able to speak to her grandfather in her language for the first time over the phone. He repeated her name unsure it was her (which made our mother cry :D ).
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We have witnessed the transmission of the oral tradition and the learning of family connections in a boat over a fishing net, in the bush picking tea leaves, while making moose hide slippers, when learning to bead and when learning how to use a bow and arrow. You cannot get these things from a regular school.
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People are learning about Treaties and the importance of Indian place names.
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...and so much more.
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There is so much talk about reconciliation in Canada right now but we believe that 'reconciliation' needs to start with ourselves.
Let us rebuild and repair those systems that have nearly disappeared, by ourselves for ourselves.
Learning your language, reconnecting with your community, learning real history and the reasons for the state we are in today in this country will leave no option but to grow in strength, power and resilience.
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Connect now with other First Nation people - these connections may last a lifetime.
Thank you so very much to those who understood our vision and helped us get started. We hope this is just the beginning.
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Unsure where to begin in trying to find out about First Nations generally? Join us.
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Learn your roots. Learn your language. Connect with other First Nations people. Discover a 'different' way of learning. Learn about your rich history and culture. Provide time and service to your community. Gain real world skills along the way.
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What do we do for you?
Once registered, our materials, which are based on our lifetime of homeschooling philosophy, will guide you in how to get in touch, reacquainted or more deeply entrenched in your culture and where you come from. You will learn much along the way but YOU remain in control over what 'work' you do. Sharing your experiences with other Warriors speeds up your learning about yourself and others. Our new app gives you access to your 'classroom' anytime, anywhere but your success still depends on YOU, YOU need to find information, YOU need to participate.
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Help us find our young people who are out there living & learning their culture.
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We hope to see you and/or your children join us soon!
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"Young Warriors" places a strong emphasis on community service and volunteerism. Children will learn skills that they would likely not learn in the mainstream school system. The activities are based on leadership creation ideologies and founded on the principles of resilience.
Community service requirements throughout the life of the program enable the child and the child’s mentors to identify ways of participating in, and contributing to, healthy community initiatives that address community needs.
These activities will create and bolster leadership and advocacy skills while giving the child ample opportunities to strive towards goals aimed at independence and a healthy sense of self and personal value.
Each child’s participation in the program will affect the family and community as they go about seeking the expertise and knowledge of others in order to complete their tasks which are based on their community’s connections to the land, history, culture, language and practices. This is designed to revitalize the transmission of knowledge from the previous generation to the next in a manner that alerts all to its immense value, importance and relevance today.
Young Warriors of Turtle Island is a unique program. This program’s design allows for varied delivery options; homework or afterschool clubs, recreation programs and other First Nation child focused organizations can assist Young Warriors in achieving their assigned tasks and earning of rewards. Children can also work independently in the event that no organization is available in their particular community.
Any donation is welcome and greatly appreciated. Please let us know if we can display your company logo on our website and/or publish your name as a donor.
Our contact person:
Mary Chakasim
(c) (705) 465-4452
Email: youngwarriorsofturtleisland@gmail.com
Young Warriors of Turtle Island aims to address the impacts of residential schools in our youth and their families (which is why we are focusing on reaching the descendants of those affected by the Indian Act - a non-First Nation version is coming soon). We believe the mentoring and role modelling that children will access through their participation in our program will reduce the chances of poor and unsafe decision making (to prevent further MMIW and First Nation youth suicides). We also hope this program will be a positive step towards the reconciliation that needs to happen in this country.
If you are able to donate or sponsor children, please do so using the option at the top of the page OR contact us at the email or telephone number above.
Background of Young Warriors of Turtle Island team
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A family of four resident in Moosonee, members of Attawapiskat First Nation.
This program concept and content was designed by three homeschooled sisters, ages 13 & 10.
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Neegahnii, age 13. Life homeschooler, writer, avid reader.
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Danasco, age 13. Life homeschooler, avid reader and athlete.
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Mattinaway, age 10. Life homeschooler, artist and pragmatist.
..and joining late in the process, Mary, mother, homeschooler, college prof, lawyer
Although this project is child driven, Mary will assist her daughters in running their program until they are able to do so on their own.