Sarah Nelson is an Ojibwe Anishinaabekwe from the Eagle clan who was born and raised in Animikii Wekwedong (Thunder Bay, Ontario). She is a member of Couchiching First Nation, with family ties to Lac Seul First Nation.
She is the Northwest Regional Lead for CatalystsX. In this role she coordinates the project Northern Lights Collaborative, a network which supports social infrastructure for youth in Northwestern Ontario.
For the past four years she has acted as Director for Shkoday, a grassroots organization based in Thunder Bay, which oversees and provides strategic direction to three culturally based holistic programs for Indigenous children and youth, and their families.
She is a Founder and Advisor of the Indigenous Youth & Community Futures Fund with the Laidlaw Foundation which offers funding for Indigenous youth-led projects to strengthen community connections to land, language and culture across Ontario.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Learning and has experience in decolonial community-based research including recently as a contractor for grassroots organizations including MANO (Media Arts Network of Ontario) and the 4Rs Youth Movement.
She also completed the Indigenous Reporters Program and an internship with APTN this year. She enjoys listening to people’s stories and amplifying them as both a researcher and reporter.