2SiMS Youth Council
The National 2Spirit / Indigiqueer Youth Council is run by and for youth ages 18-29* who identify with one or more of the following umbrella terms, '2Spirit’, ‘Indigiqueer’, or other gender, sexuality, gender identity/expression and 2SLGBTQIAA+ terminology.
Our current council is as follows
Chanelle Lajoie - Chair
Lydia Toorenburgh - Vice Chair
Owen Petit - Secretary
Naomi Bird
Adam Gauthier
Bean Fiddler
Martini Monkman
Ocean Memnook
Mallory Solomon
Hello, my name is Adam Gauthier (he/him). On my maternal side I am Coast Salish from the Tla'amin Nation and on my paternal side I am Cree from Saulteau First Nation in Treaty 8 along with Métis lineage to Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta. I'm a proud Two-Spirit person who embraces both sides as they both bring me teachings to understand both sides. I grew up on-reserve and this was very important for my development as a Two-Spirit person since being on the land taught me so much about life and creation. Being a Two-Spirit person, we are rooted in sacredness that gives us relations to be both masculine and feminine. As we walk on our journey, we pick up medicine and teachings to nurture our spirits as we ongoingly embody both sides.
Mallory nindizhinikaaz. Gohn Gazhed Mtigwakii Kwe nindigoo ojibwemong. Mushkoode bishike nindiodem.
Hello, my name is Mallory Solomon (she/they), my spirit name is Snow-Covered Forest Women. My clan is the Buffalo. I am from Constance Lake First Nation. I am 26 years old. My pronouns are she/they. I am an Oji-Cree person who identifies as Two-Spirit. I have a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology from Algoma University. I am currently working towards a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University. By continuing my education, I hope to bring back the much-needed services to the communities in Northern Ontario. I love traveling and spending time with friends. My passion is advocating for mental health and Indigenous youth.
Chanelle Lajoie (they/them) is Red River Michif, Swampy Cree, and French. Chanelle is currently representing the Youth Committee as the Chair, and will be spending their summer interning in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Lydia Toorenburgh (they/them) is Bungi-Metis, and registered with Metis Nation BC. They are the Vice-Chair of the Youth Council, and enjoy spending their free time performing as drag king 'Riel Deadly' (@riel_deadly). They are also a beadwork artist (@mihkostikwan.beads), and singer-songwriter. Lydia is also a PhD student at the University of Victoria, where they work on gathering two-spirit and queer Metis teachings and stories.
Bean Fiddler (she/they) is from Sandy Lake First Nation but they live in Thunder Bay Ontario. Currently they sit on the 2SIMS Youth Council and enjoying their time exploring and meeting new people while on the youth council. Bean studied Aboriginal Community Advocacy Program at Confederation College located in Thunder Bay, they plan to go back to school to finish their schooling and inspires to potentially continue on to University. Currently they work in the community as an On Call Worker and a Youth Outreach Worker for two organizations in the Thunder Bay Area. On Bean’s free time, they enjoy painting and making ribbon skirts for family and spending time with their partner playing various video games. Bean’s motto for living a happy life is “Peace, Love and positivity” which is inspired by Logic.