In Northern New Mexico, we’re proud to partner with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA).
Dr. Goodall and Dr. Martin (Cherokee), President of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). (Photo credit: Jason S. Ordaz)
Dr. Jane Goodall has long said that every individual can make an impact. By working together to ensure that every individual has the resources, knowledge, and hope to fuel their passion for change, we multiply that impact significantly and create a better world for people, other animals, and the environment we all share.
ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP
- Designed to expand programming, courses, and workshops with local Pueblos and Indigenous communities nationwide, the Roots & Shoots + IAIA partnership will provide empowering experiences that instill a love of gardening, deepen an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind while honoring cultural practices. It will include JGI offering a summer internship to one IAIA student and up to eight mini-grants to local Indigenous youth.
- This collaboration with tribal communities aims to help preserve the knowledge of traditional agriculture while inspiring and empowering Indigenous youth to make the world a better place for all living beings.
- Our initial programmatic collaboration blends Roots & Shoots USA with Land-Grant outreach/conservation program priorities and supports plans for engaging surrounding Indigenous communities. For Roots & Shoots, working with and through the IAIA Land-Grant team is a unique opportunity to engage with Native American youth, expanding impact while bringing essential youth voices into our network.
Background
The Problem
- Young people in Indigenous communities are rarely given access to the same resources that other young people have, leading to fewer educational and career opportunities, as well as food deserts and lack of access to fresh foods.
- Indigenous ways of knowing have historically been undervalued, leading to the erasure of Indigenous cultural practices.
- Modern agricultural practices have led to soil depletion, biodiversity loss, increased greenhouse gases, and other environmental issues.
Solutions
- This collaboration between Roots & Shoots and IAIA will support Indigenous communities in deepening and expanding connections to traditional Indigenous ways of knowing and allowing young people to access programmatic resources, including the chance for a summer internship with Roots & Shoots.
- JGI is committed to community-led conservation and Indigenous rights and, by extension, to IAIA’s practice of combining Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with sustainable agricultural systems.
- IAIA’s Land-Grant programs provide agricultural and nutritional education to Indigenous communities, IAIA students, faculty, and staff, and Indigenous communities nationwide through culturally based outreach and education programs.
- In support of IAIA’s many educational programs which teach about sustainable agriculture and nutrition, Roots & Shoots will be offering up to eight mini-grants to support Indigenous Youth Agriculture participants who want to start their own Roots & Shoots community projects.
