The NB3 Foundation Community Empowerment Series kicked off in late March and was focused on providing a free space for Native-led organizations, tribes and schools to connect and learn together. The series consisted of four virtual gatherings focused: personal and organizational wellness, a training focused on engaging youth virtually, providing tools and resources and sharing and advocating.
“With this series we were really looking to provide the needed space for community partners to network and learn together,” Leroy Silva, community coordinator said. “I think what we all learned is that we share a lot of the same goals and experiences, and that when we work together we can go further and make more positive impacts on the lives of Native youth.”
Each gathering was centered around listening and sharing. Community partners were often asked to tell a story and share an experience or resource that was helpful to them. Everything shared was intentional and provided a takeaway for participants. Together, they worked towards strengthening relationships with Indigenous youth while incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into current practices.
One example of this was a prompt that required community partners to reflect and share how their ancestors communicated. The exercise was a way of showing that even without all the technology we have available today, our ancestors proved to be great communicators. So, how? How did our ancestors do it and what can we learn from them to strengthen our communication today? The exercise brought forward great reflections and proved to be a meaningful learning experience, sparking ideas of how to incorporate what their ancestors did into the work they’re doing today.
“The communications session was great! It was cool to hear everyone’s stories,” one participant said.
Wrapping up the series, the group focused on collective impact and how even though each organization is unique, they all shared a common goal of promoting the health of Native youth.
“The dedication from everyone’s stories and impact that are similar to my community. It’s great knowing we are all working towards a common goal.,” another participant said.
Though the series was not focused on providing financial support to organizations, participants were able to meet and connect with allies from across the U.S. and Canada. The NB3 Foundation Community Empowerment team is also looking to build off the series, taking participant feedback and looking for ways to provide resources and gatherings that are tailored to the needs of Native-led organizations.
“We’re so grateful for all the community partners who joined us for the series and to NM Health Equity Partnership for helping us facilitate,” Simone Duran, program coordinator said. “Networking and sharing were at the forefront of the series because we know how important and reassuring it is to have like-minded support in our focus of work. We look forward to hosting more gatherings for new and current partners.”
Though the campaign was only six weeks long; it was not any less meaningful. We are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside this group of Native youth and look forward to seeing the impact they have on their communities.
