The Aboriginal Y.O.U.T.H. (Youth Organized United Together Healing) Gathering, held in Winnipeg's inner-city in March 2007, gave Aboriginal youth the opportunity to "turn their voices into action." With the guidance of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre (Ma Mawi), seven youth were teamed up with experienced mentors to plan and host a conference that sought to foster a sense of Aboriginal identity, act as a forum for Aboriginal youth to express their ideas and needs, synthesize these needs into a policy plan for government and other decision makers, and enable Aboriginal youth to advocate and act for change.

This Profile is the result of the commitment to community capacity building that Ma Mawi uses, and their invitation to the Canadian CED Network to join one of their initiatives as an observer in order to tell their story for the purposes of sharing their experience, learning from practice, and inspiring others.

Aboriginal Y.O.U.T.H. Gathering: Turning Our Voices into Action