Dr. Shane N. Young, PhD, MSW, RSW
Educator · Facilitator · Organizational Consultant · Registered Social Worker
Community Engagement
Rooted In Community
Shane's community work is rooted in relationships with Mikmaq communities and across Tkaronto. Since the late 1990s, his journey has been shaped by reconnecting with Mikmaq ancestry and engaging in community spaces grounded in reciprocity, respect, and shared learning.
Community work begins with listening and grows through relationships built on reciprocity and responsibility.
Urban Indigenous Community
Shane's personal and professional involvement within the urban Indigenous community of Tkaronto has been one of many gifts. To learn and grow with a group of people who have rich lived experiences within a space where you not only listen but are also heard. From the Indigenous Board of Directors to ceremonies and community events, his continued involvement with the urban Indigenous community of Tkaronto has encompassed relationships of reciprocity, inclusion, and respect.
Shane's doctoral studies have allowed me to expand my web of relations to include the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Tuscarora nations of Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, furthermore, the Michi Saagiig (Mississauga Anishinaabeg) of Curve Lake First Nation. The relations are not static but continually expand, develop, and are nurtured.
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Local Community Involment
Alternatives for Youth Director, Board of Directors, Member Since 2025 - Present
The Board of Directors at Alternatives for Youth (AY) is responsible for ensuring strong governance and advancing AY’s mission to support youth struggling with substance use. Responsibilities include providing strategic leadership, approving and monitoring the budget, reviewing policies and by-laws, overseeing the Executive Director’s performance, participating in board and committee meetings, supporting board recruitment, and staying informed about community issues that impact AY’s ability to fulfill its mission.
Native Men's Residence, Board of Directors, Term: 2019-2023
The Circle of Directors is responsible for Na-Me-Res's strategic focus, policy direction, and financial health, ensuring that programs have adequate resources and are consistent with the mission and values. Moreover, the vision is that everyone deserves respect, consideration, and care, regardless of circumstances. That belief drives the compassion and dedication of the Na-Me-Res team. The Circle of Directors recognizes all staff and volunteers who help coordinate programs, manage residences, and devote long hours to end homelessness and meet the needs of the Toronto Indigenous community.
Indigenous Friends Association, Board of Directors, Term: 2019-2025
The Board of Directors is accountable to members and their families, the community, funders, and other stakeholders. By connecting Indigenous students with peer support and offering internal and external resources available in the educational setting and surrounding areas, students can access information on resources for Indigenous Peoples on campus, peer-support networks, and traditional counselling and Knowledge Keepers. Furthermore, the Board is responsible for the Association’s performance in realizing its mission and achieving its goals, as well as for effective stewardship of financial and human resources.
National Community Involment
National Indigenous Accreditation Board (NIAB): Social Work Education Circle, Member Since 2023 - Present
The process of accrediting social work education programs is managed by the Social Work Education Circle (SWEC), a national body with representation from a variety of treaty territories, which assesses, affirms, and supports social work education programs. The activities related to the assessment of social work education programs are grounded in NIAB’s commitment to the healthy growth of dynamic education programs that are responsive to community needs, locally controlled, and rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems.
Thunderbird Circle: Indigenous Social Work Educators’ Network , Member Since 2018 - Present
The Thunderbird Nesting Circle is a collective of Indigenous social work educators and students representing the interests of Indigenous families, communities, and nations across Canada. Moreover, dedicated to contributing and centring Indigenous voices in social work educational development and delivery in Canada.
© 2026 Dr. Shane Young