Ben Powless is a Mohawk from Six Nations in Ontario. He is currently studying Human Rights Indigenous and Environmental Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, after spending a year in an international exchange program, studying sustainable rural development between Alberta and Mexico.
He has been involved with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition since its inception, working at both the national level and with the Ottawa Chapter.
He is also heavily involved with the Indigenous Environmental Network, having represented them at various international events, most recently at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's High-Level Conference on World Food Security, Climate Change and Bioenergy. He also sits on the board of the National Council for the Canadian Environmental Network, is on the Youth Advisory Group to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, and is very involved in the local Aboriginal community. Powless aspires to eventually work in national and international issues involving indigenous rights, human rights and their interplay with the environment
