Walking Beside Youth:My Experience with MKO’s Youth Justice Program

By Nowsheen Kamal, 2nd year MDP student

During the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to work with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) in their Youth Justice Program. I first began learning about the program last fall as part of my Capstone project, and over time I realized how much it brought together the themes of my MDP journey—history, youth justice, structural racism, Indigenous ways of living, sustainability, biocultural conservation, and more. Above all, it allowed me to observe restorative justice in action.

Based in Winnipeg, the Youth Justice Program works in collaboration with Manitoba Justice to support Indigenous youth involved with the criminal justice system. The program reconnects youth with culture, language, and identity through ceremonies, community-based interventions, and reintegration supports with families and home communities. Starting with 50 youth—some incarcerated at the Manitoba Youth Centre, some on probation, others back in communities —the program also works alongside partners such as Selkirk Mental Hospital, Whistling Wind Action Therapy, social workers, probation officers, Reciprocal Consulting, and Marymound.

Over the last year, I have worked with six dedicated team members who put their minds and hearts into addressing issues rather than condemning the person. With them, I participated in a wide range of activities: sweat lodge ceremonies, pipe ceremonies, picnics in the park, pumpkin carving in the fall, bannock-making classes, lunches on day leaves, and board games with a youth at Selkirk Mental Hospital. I saw youth take part in drum-making, medicine pouch workshops using moose hide, and beading sessions with action therapists. I accompanied them to probation appointments, court hearings, and community reintegration meetings, while also helping with practical supports like obtaining SIN numbers, driver’s licenses, or birth certificates. Sometimes it was the smallest details—picking them up safely and on time without them having a phone, remembering their favorite pizza order, or encouraging a quieter youth without pushing their boundaries—that built trust and connection.

One of the strongest memories I carry is from a courtroom, where we sat in a half-circle with a youth before the judge. I watched as each supportive member spoke with voices that grew heavy with emotion—recalling the youth’s growth, recognizing their efforts, and expressing pride in how far they had come. Together, they strategized a path forward, showing that justice can be about collective care and accountability rather than punishment.

This summer, MKO’s Youth Justice Program taught me what healing through restorative justice truly looks like.

Feast After Ceremony – Every gathering ended with a shared feast. MKO staff always made sure the youth felt included, preparing food that reflected their preferences. These moments of eating together created space for connection, care, & laughter.