Msit No'kmaq 

My name is Shane Young, a Two-Spirit Mi’kmaw and Newfoundland Settler who is a member of the Qalipu First Nation in Mi’kma’ki K'taqamkuk (southwestern coast of Newfoundland), where I was born and raised, and I have lived in Toronto since 2006.  

 

Many of my Mi'kmaq ancestors came from around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, with many distant relatives still living on First Nations there. My family lines include the Benoit, Marche and Young families, the main Mi'kmaq family lines on the Port au Port Peninsula (Payun Aqq Payunji'j).

 
I am a social work educator, PhD Candidate (ABD), Joseph-Armand Bombardier Scholar, an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Community Services, School of Social Work, and Academic Coordinator of the Indigenous Knowledges and Experiences Certificate with Toronto Metropolitan University.

 

Before joining academia full-time, I was a social work practitioner, consultant and trainer, the latter two I continue to do today.