Civic Boot Camp: Native American Youth Advocacy

Seattle CityClub is hosting a three-part series of virtual Civic Boot Camps, Native American Leadership in the Salish Sea Region, to explore the contributions of local Tribal leadership to our community and civic landscape. Through a series of webinars with panels of Native adult and youth leaders, we’ll discuss the role, responsibility, and contributions of Tribal leadership to our community as they work with multiple levels of government and non-tribal organizations to manage our natural resources and address social, environmental, and health issues.

Listen, ask questions, and get the knowledge and inspiration needed to engage in your community and work toward solutions. As part of this curriculum, all participants will also receive links to informational interviews with community leaders, key articles, videos, websites, and volunteer resources.

Native American Youth Advocacy

For this second webinar on June 11, our speakers will discuss their advocacy to raise public awareness about critical social, cultural, and environmental issues impacting Native communities and the bold steps they’re taking to create positive change. They’ll cover issues such as Native language revitalization, legislation to ban Native mascots in high schools, and criminal justice regarding Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.

We’ll address key questions such as:

• What are the key issues facing Native American youth in Washington?
• How are Native youth taking leadership roles to address key Native and non-native community issues?
• What role do Native youth leaders play compared to Native elder leaders?
• What role does Tribal identity play in their work?
• How are Native youth leaders making a difference in our region?

Opening stories:

• Rena Priest (Lummi), Washington State Poet Laureate, will read a few of her poems and reflect on her role as the first Native Poet Laureate of Washington State.

Moderator:

• Owen Oliver (Quinault (Chinook)/ Isleta Pueblo), Secretary of Youth Advisory Board, University of Washington

Panelists:

• Rosalie Fish (Cowlitz), Student athlete, University of Washington
• Sadie Olsen (Lummi), Student advocate, Northwest Indian College
• Ivy Pete (Pyramid Lake-Paiute Tribe of northern Nevada), Student advocate, North Central High School, Spokane

Pre-recorded interviews (provided to registrants before the webinars):

• Cecile Hansen (Duwamish) Chair, Duwamish Tribe
• Takako T Wright, Development Director, Snoqualmie Casino
• Selected clips from Native leaders at previous Civic Boot Camps

Participants will be encouraged to submit questions during the webinar and there will be dedicated Q and A time with the panelists in the last 15 minutes.

The third webinar on June 18th, Weaving Social Responsibility with Native Values, will feature leaders from local organizations and institutions to discuss how they’re incorporating Native priorities, education, and awareness into their programs.

If you’d like to purchase a ticket for each event in this series, please call Seattle CityClub at (206) 682-7395, or email us at [email protected] with “Civic Boot Camp Native American Leadership” in the subject line.

Pricing

• Pay what you can levels: $20, $40 and $75
• Free for BIPOC community members, youth under 22
• Donations welcome
• Your registration fee, which is separate for each webinar, includes access to articles, videos, websites, background data, speaker bios, and pre-recorded interviews.

Civic Boot Camp Supporting Partner