Tribal Civics
Interested in participating in our Tribal Civics project? Complete the form below to get started!
Taking Action
The feedback we received during our tour aligned well with an action plan carried out by one of our Native Nation Rebuilders: Cohort 9 Rebuilder Levi Brown developed a Tribal civics course. While originally tailored specifically to his Native nation, our team worked with him and other leaders to create a Tribal civics model available to all interested Native nations. We hope this initiative will lead to more informed Tribal citizens who are empowered to participate in and contribute to their nations and governments.
What's Next
We are excited to launch our virtual workshop series in 2022! We will be recruiting Tribal citizens, Native changemakers, educators, and grassroots community leaders from various Native nations to participate in this pilot. Reach out to program manager Apryl Deel-McKenzie if you are interested!
Related Resources
The 2020 Census at Red Lake Nation
The census has a dismal record of undercounting certain population groups, in particular Native Americans residing on reservations. The 2020 census faced two unprecedented challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic and political interference by the Trump administration. For Native communities across the country, the result was a net undercount of 5.64%. At Red Lake Nation in northwestern Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota), however, through outstanding leadership and a series of actions that embody Native nation rebuilding principles, Red Lake Nation achieved a count of 100% of known housing units.
Tribal Civics: A Guide for Fostering Engagement
A Tribal civics initiative is a formal or informal learning opportunity for Tribal citizens to learn about their people’s history, cultural values and practices, traditional forms of governance, and current governmental structure and administration. This guide is for Indigenous youth, educators, knowledge keepers, grassroots and elected leaders; it’s for anyone who aspires to create and implement a Tribal civics engagement plan for their nation. This resource is available to download as a PDF.
Indigenous Financial Management
Informed leadership and strong financial management practices are crucial components for effective self-governance, something we refer to as nation rebuilding. Nation rebuilding is the process of leaving behind ineffective models of Tribal governance, or the standard approach, and rebuilding culturally-relevant governance institutions through five established elements of success: sovereignty, capable governing institutions, cultural match, strategic orientation, and spirited leadership.