Indigenous youth were invited to the Indigenous Youth Day for Climate Justice on Sunday, May 7 at the Billy Frank Jr. Community Services Center (the gym at 4820 She-Nah-Num Drive SE, Nisqually, WA). See the event photos, facebook event page, invitation, and poster:
Leschi-Quiemuth Honor Walk, Saturday, May 6
The Leschi-Quiemuth Honor Walk on Saturday, May 6 is an annual event for Nisqually tribal members, joined by supporters, to access cultural sites and former homesteads on the reservation land within Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).
Indigenous Youth Day for Climate Justice, Sunday, May 7
Sunday, May 7 was devoted to the Indigenous Youth Day (including Native and Pacific Islander youth) and was for middle school, high school, college-age students, Indigenous youth group members, and canoe families. The Northwest Indigenous Youth Day included talks on climate change resilience, art projects, youth role models talking about protecting their communities, sharing inspiring and hopeful success stories and skills, having traditional foods and a Coastal Jam, and keeping in touch with other youth protecting their land and water.
The Indigenous Youth Day started at 11:00 am on Sunday, May 7 at the Billy Frank Jr. Community Services (the gym at 4820 She-Nah-Num Drive SE, Nisqually, WA). Dinner at 5:00 pm was followed by a Coastal Jam. The goals of the Indigenous Youth Day included:
* Teaching enough basic information on fossil fuel resistance and climate change resilience that youth could go home and speak with their friends, family, and community;
* Listening to role models talk about their experiences on the frontlines of protecting their communities.
* Sharing inspiring and hopeful success stories.
* Sharing skills (banner making, music events, etc.) to develop their own skills for change.
* Integrating culture into the day, including traditional foods and a gathering by the Salish Sea.
* Forming some kind of network of Indigenous youth to communicate and work together on climate and fossil fuels until the next gathering, and working with existing networks.
Our thanks for the support from the Nisqually Charitable Fund, Clean Energy Committee (Evergreen), President’s Equity Fund (Evergreen), Nisqually Environmental Team, and South Puget Sound Community College.
Hanford McCloud Nisqually Tribal Council mccloud.hanford@nisqually-nsn.gov
David Stepetin Nisqually Environmental Team Stepetin.david@nisqually-nsn.gov
Shangrila Joshi Wynn Evergreen faculty, Political Ecology/Climate Justice wynns@evergreen.edu
Zoltan Grossman Evergreen faculty, Geography/Native Studies grossmaz@evergreen.edu
Kristina Ackley Evergreen faculty, Native Studies ackleyk@evergreen.edu
Frances Rains Evergreen faculty, Native Studies/Education rainsf@evergreen.edu
Debra McNutt Evergreen alum, Tribal MPA debimcnutt@gmail.com