Representation is an element of reconciliation – the path Indigenous and non-Indigenous are walking towards to heal a broken relationship caused by the impacts of colonialism. Representation in young people’s literature, art, and popular culture is about how we see ourselves and how we see each other. It is about how, in the ways we have been conditioned to perceive, the impacts can be positive or negative, with profound impacts in either outcome. But representation does not stop at how people of colour and marginalized groups are depicted and the ramifications of those depictions; it extends to other areas, including the life-saving normalization of mental health rather than mental illness for youth and the presence of diverse voices in real life that shatters stereotypes and writes a new story of empowerment, hope, healing, and stronger communities.
David A. Robertson is a two-time winner of Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award and has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writer’s Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. He has been named the Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year and was honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba in 2023 for outstanding contributions to the arts and distinguished achievements. He is IBBY Canada’s nominee for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writer. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.
Keynote Speaker: David A. Robertson
Representation Matters
Representation is an element of reconciliation – the path Indigenous and non-Indigenous are walking towards to heal a broken relationship caused by the impacts of colonialism. Representation in young people’s literature, art, and popular culture is about how we see ourselves and how we see each other. It is about how, in the ways we have been conditioned to perceive, the impacts can be positive or negative, with profound impacts in either outcome. But representation does not stop at how people of colour and marginalized groups are depicted and the ramifications of those depictions; it extends to other areas, including the life-saving normalization of mental health rather than mental illness for youth and the presence of diverse voices in real life that shatters stereotypes and writes a new story of empowerment, hope, healing, and stronger communities.
David A. Robertson is a two-time winner of Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award and has won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writer’s Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. He has been named the Globe and Mail Children’s Storyteller of the Year and was honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba in 2023 for outstanding contributions to the arts and distinguished achievements. He is IBBY Canada’s nominee for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writer. He has received several other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.
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