Hi, I’m Stephanie Morgan.
Founder & Program Director of the Gitxsan Youth Movement (GYMS). I work as an Intake Legal Assistant at Legal Aid BC, sit on the EDI Committee there, and serve in BCGEU roles (Component 7: Indigenous Member at Large & Indigenous Advisor Committee Member; Local 703: Steward & Indigenous Worker). I belong to the Gitxsan Nation (Fireweed Tribe, House of Woo’sim’lax’ha) and live on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
I founded GYMS because I want our Gitxsan Nation to have strong, capable leaders who are grounded in culture, ready to defend our rights, and prepared to guide our people into the future. At GYMS I lead language revitalization, cultural workshops with Elders, harvesting programs that teach sustainable practices, and mentorship that helps youth navigate the legal system and explore careers in law and social justice. I’m committed to nurturing leadership in our youth so they can carry our traditions forward and lead our nation.
About the Gitxsan Youth Movement (first-person, organization) Our mission is to honour, embrace, and empower Gitxsan youth through cultural engagement and community building. We prioritize teaching Gitxsan language, traditions, and cultural practices, strengthening intergenerational connections with Elders and knowledge keepers, and creating safe spaces for youth ages 18–35. We welcome other Indigenous youth as space allows. Founded in 1998 and renewed in January 2026, GYMS aligns its work with the TRC Calls to Action and UNDRIP to ensure our programs respect Indigenous rights and support cultural revitalization.
My Approach
We are racing to save the Gitxsan language and traditions. With only about 70 fluent Elders left, our history is disappearing faster than we can record it. This is an emergency.
Please help. A $20 gift — the price of a lunch — pays honorariums for Elders who teach our youth. Support our Elders and our future: https://www.gitxsanyouthmovement.org/donate
I am Stephanie Morgan (Ugh’de’wil’gal’um), Founder and Program Director of the Gitxsan Youth Movement Society (GYMS). We are using Google AI as a modern tool to help preserve our language. AI needs examples to learn, so our community is collecting verified audio, stories, and translations. By giving the AI correct recordings and texts, we make sure our language is known by modern technology and can be shared with future generations to speak, write, and learn.
But technology cannot replace the heart of our culture — our Elders. I do this work for our youth and for my parents, Chief Woo’sim’lax’ha Peggy Morgan and Chief Gakxh Barney Morgan. They taught me our ways and showed me how to serve our people. They are the backbone of this work.
A guardian is a protector who supports Indigenous youth, helping them find strength, hope, and a path to their culture.
I cannot do this alone. Thank you Guardians for standing with us.
Stephanie Morgan Ugh’de’wil’gal’um Founder & Program Director, Gitxsan Youth Movement Society
You are a guardian
Guardians are people who stand with our youth. They offer protection, guidance, and steady encouragement so young people can reconnect with their language, traditions, and community.
Be that person
Be a Guardian of Culture.