LaDuke will speak in Minneapolis on "the Green Path"
Internationally known Native American activist and author Winona LaDuke will speak at Plymouth Congregational Church on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Her topic, "The Green Path: Land-base Economies and Future Generations," will address economic choices in food and energy systems. LaDuke (White Earth Ojibwe) is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. She is also Executive Director of Honor the Earth, where she works on a national level to raise public support and funding for frontline native environmental groups.
She is the author of six books, including "Recovering the Sacred," "All our Relations," and a novel, "Last Standing Woman." She is a former board member of Greenpeace USA and is presently an advisory board member for the Trust for Public Lands Native Lands Program and a board member of the Christensen Fund. Plymouth is located at 1900 Nicollet Ave. (at Franklin) in Minneapolis. A reception and book signing will follow. For more information, see www.plymouth.org or www.ewestminster.org.
"Calling All Polar Bears" performs at Intermedia Arts
What would a polar bear say if he could talk? How does a small Indigenous Community fight a large multi-national corporation that is intending to exploit its natural resources? "Calling All Polar Bears" is a one-woman show by Inupiaq Eskimo Inter-Disciplinary Artist, Allison Warden, whose roots are from Kaktovik, Alaska, which is a village in the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Warden takes on the characters of animals, and of people in her village, as they bring to light the complexity surrounding climate change in the Arctic and the push to extract resources from the Arctic regions. "Calling All Polar Bears" hopes to engage audiences through an Inupiaq perspective and inspire audiences to think critically about these pressing issues.
Warden (AKU-MATU) is an I?upiaq Eskimo Inter-Disciplinary Artist with a passion for the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. The play performs November 17-20 at Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis. For more information, call 612-871-4444.
AIOIC Awarded $5 Million for IT Training
In October, the American Indian OIC (AIOIC) was awarded a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to train 1,126 individuals in a variety of IT related programs for employment to provide training for Computer Support Specialist, Healthcare Data Security, Healthcare Technical Software Support, Healthcare implementation Support, Microsoft Certification, Social Media and Public Relations Specialist. All programs offer full scholarships for eligible candidates. Computer Support and Public Relations programs are proposed to start at the end of November, with other programs expected to begin in the spring quarter.
The training programs are geared at supporting individuals who have struggled with long-term unemployment which is defined as unemployed for 26 weeks or longer or are underemployed. Eligible candidates are U.S. Citizens, nationals, and immigrants authorized by the Attorney General to work in the U.S. Interested students will need to complete an assessment prior to beginning enrollment. For further information, call 612-341- 3358.
Program to introduce entrepreneurship and financial literacy to Minneapolis American Indian youth
MIGIZI Communications, Inc. was awarded $894,002 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Program for a three – year grant to implement Native Youth Futures: Investing Today for Greater Prosperity Tomorrow – a three-year project designed to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
The project goal is to create an urban Native Youth Entrepreneurship Pathway that leads to economic self-sufficiency for individual youth, and helps to grow a vibrant Indian-owned small business sector for the community. MIGIZI will work with South High School, Nawayee Center School and AIOIC’s Career Immersion High School, and others, to bring skills and opportunities to over 200 American Indian middle-school and high-school youth.
For more information about this project, contact Graham Hartley, Director of Programs at 612-721-6631, ext. 208, or John Gwinn, Project Coordinator at 612-721-6631, ext. 222.
Anishinabe Wakiagun wins housing award
The Corporation For Supportive Housing (CSH) celebrated its 20th anniversary this year with a special conference and reception held in New York City. The highlight of the event was the presentation of this year’s "Supportive Housing Champions Awards". The award recognizes the individuals and organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary leadership contributing to the growth and vitality of the supportive housing sector.
Anishinabe Wakiagun (Our Peoples Home) of Minneapolis, Minnesota was one of this years recipients. Accepting the award on behalf of Anishinabe Wakiagun were Community Development Corporation CEO Michael Goze and Project for Pride in Living’s Barbara McCormick .
Anishinabe Wakiagun celebrated its 15th year anniversary last year. Anishinabe Wakiagun has been providing a "Housing First, Harm Reduction model" of housing primarily serving Native Americans, a model that is being used throughout the U.S.
