This blog post was written by Reconnection Vision Executive Director, Katie Johnson, Lasänma.

There are moments when you look back at where something started, where it has taken you, and realize that you are standing at the beginning of something much bigger.

For me, as a strong Southern Tutchone woman, this is one of those moments.

As we share the Reconnection Vision Five-Year Strategic Plan with you, I have been reflecting on why this work matters so deeply to me and on the hopes and dreams that continue to guide where we are going.

I have spent more than two decades working alongside Yukon Indigenous artists, storytellers, leaders, youth, Elders, and communities across the Yukon and North. Through all those years doing Adaka Cultural Festival and many other gatherings, one thing has stayed with me: the incredible potential of our young people, and the importance of creating space for them.

I grew up surrounded by my Lhù’ààn Mân family, community, culture, gatherings, stories, and time on the Land. I had Elders, aunties, uncles, and people around me who helped shape who I was and reminded me where I came from.

Today, as a mother to my daughter Bella, and Auntie to many, I think a lot about what we are creating for the generations coming behind us.

I want our young people to know their languages and stories. I want them to drum, sing, sew, play handgames, set gopher traps, set fish nets, hunt their first moose and spend time with Elders on the land.

I want them to know who they are and where they come from. And I want them to have the confidence and tools to walk successfully in today’s world without ever feeling like they have to leave part of themselves behind.

That is one of my greatest hopes for the Reconnection Vision.

Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow

The teaching of Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow has always been instilled in me, Those words feel just as important today as they did 50 years ago. They remind us that our responsibility goes beyond ourselves. What we build today should make things better for our children, grandchildren, and generations we may never meet.

And our young leaders are already showing us what Reconnection can look like:

They want culture. They want language. They want land. They want community. They want relationships with Elders, and with one another. They want to understand who they are.

Our responsibility isn’t to tell youth exactly where to go. It is to create strong foundations around them, open doors, share teachings, and give them the space and support to lead.

Planning Our Next Chapter

We are proud to share the Reconnection Vision Five-Year Strategic Plan, a roadmap for the next chapter of this growing Yukon First Nations youth-led movement.

Beginning in January 2025, and led by IRP Potential Consulting, we brought together Elders, Reconnection Fellows, partners, supporters, and community members to reflect on where we have been and dream about where we want to go.

Through story, ceremony, reflection, dialogue, and Indigenous ways of knowing, we began shaping the path forward.

The Reconnection Vision is about reviving our sacred connections with ourselves, each other, and the Land so we can heal our systems and communities and ensure the children of tomorrow can grow as whole people.

Our Strategic Plan is not simply an organizational document. It is a commitment to a movement. A movement grounded in Yukon First Nations values, relationships, culture, Land, and wholeness.

Over the next five years, our work will focus on strengthening our organization and governance, growing the movement through storytelling, expanding Reconnection education through curriculum and Land-based learning, and building strong partnerships for collective impact.

This Is a 50-Year Journey

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has carried this vision with us, the Elders who share their wisdom, the young leaders who continue to lead and challenge us, our Reconnection Fellows, our partners and supporters, and our incredible team who bring so much heart to this work.

For me, I will continue bringing my experience, relationships, heart, and commitment to this journey. But I am most excited about the day when the next generation takes this vision somewhere we haven’t even imagined yet.

Because while we are launching a Five-Year Strategic Plan, the Reconnection Vision is really a 50-year journey.

We are planting seeds today for generations to come.

Seeds of culture. Seeds of belonging. Seeds of healing. Seeds of leadership. Seeds of Reconnection.

My hope is that one day our young leaders will look back and know that we thought about them. That we made decisions with them in our hearts. That we worked together to leave stronger communities, healthier relationships, and deeper connections to culture and Land.