She advocates for Indigenous people through public policy initiatives
Age: 30
Job Title: Executive Director, Confederacy of Treaty 6
Chaos. That’s how Kayli Avveduti describes working on the papal visit in July 2022, where she watched Grand Chief Arcand Jr. at the airport when he welcomed the Pope to Edmonton (Avveduti would later stand next to Grand Chief Arcand Jr. when he privately welcomed the Pope to Lac Ste. Anne).
“It was a once in a lifetime experience. I don’t think I’ll live to welcome another Pope onto our territory,” Avveduti says. “It was a special day for me. My kookum attended Indian residential schools and was a devout Catholic.”
As the youngest executive director for Confederacy of Treaty 6, Avveduti works with 16 member nations to advocate for Indigenous people.
Avveduti has always wanted to serve her people. When she had her son last September, that purpose came into sharper focus.
“It’s driven home how important it is to try and build a society where I know he’ll be OK, and he’ll have equal opportunities.”
As a child, Avveduti’s father said she’d make a great lawyer — “I was argumentative”, she says. Although she didn’t pursue that path, working in public policy has given her an opportunity to improve the lives of Indigenous people — another way to make a difference for her people.
“Sometimes you don’t have a choice. I was born into this life and it’s hard to fathom doing anything else.”
This article appears in the Nov/Dec 2023 issue of Edify
