Time and time again, Erin Konsmo has provided her voice to bring awareness and change to some of the issues Aboriginals face.

And, at just 23-year-of-age, the Red Deer citizen has positioned herself to be heard around the world.

Konsmo, a Métis and self-described “compassion activist,” has tirelessly been involved with the Aboriginal HIV/AIDS movement locally, nationally and internationally for the past few years.

She has now, however, joined forces with five other Aboriginal women from across the country to form the new Aboriginal Women’s Leadership Circle to help generate discussions regarding the struggles that these women face.

The volunteer board will play the imperative role of representing Aboriginal and Ingenious women at the 11th installment of Women’s Worlds, a major global feminist conference being held in Ottawa in July 2011.

“One emphasis of this gathering is that Aboriginal women have been marginalized in the terms of the feminist movement disproportionately for many, many years,” Konsmo said.

“I think the circle wants to get a better foundation set for Aboriginal women’s issues so that they’re discussed more at a the provincial scale, the national scale and at international forums because those Indigenous issues have been overlooked and it’s affecting us greatly.

“You can see it in all the health disparities that we have,” she continued, pointing to an array of health issues ranging from rising rates of diabetes to HIV that plague Aboriginal women more so than other females.

The members of the circle saw no better opportunity to inspire a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Indigenous concerns than at the triannual event next being held in Canada, a country where this heritage and these issues are deeply rooted.

It’s also fitting, Konsmo noted, that women will step up to initiate change.

“A lot of the times, it is women leading the path,” she said.

“That’s a historical trend, because women have always been held as the visionaries in Aboriginal culture. They see ways to solve issues and that’s been something that has been traditional in our culture for a long time.”

She hopes that the circle’s involvement at the event will see the creation of a global network where Indigenous women step up to fight their diverse issues, share solutions and successes, and have a place celebrate what it means to be Aboriginal women.

“I think those are really monumental goals,” Konsmo said.

“We really think that they’re available and after that, there will just be a flurry of activity that Aboriginal women will really be led into the feminist movement more and that we can see some change in our communities.”

She noted that some activism activity will also take place at the gathering, whether it be something such as petitioning the government for policy change or more funding.

For the year leading up to Women’s Worlds, the circle is focusing its energy on ensuring there is adequate female Indigenous representation from around the world in attendance at the conference.

“It’s an amazing group of women,” Konsmo said of the circle.

“I think we’re really going to be able to represent Indigenous women’s issues on a whole new scale for this conference.”

Konsmo became involved with the Aboriginal Women’s Leadership Circle after being asked to join by fellow member Jessica Yee, who she has been working with on the National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Youth Council since December.

Konsmo graduated from Red Deer College in June with a bachelor of arts majoring in sociology.

She will start at York University in Toronto in September to work on her master of environmental studies with a focus on Aboriginal HIV.

ptrotter@reddeeradvocate.com