EPIP Attends InterTribal Canoe Journey Final Landing + Funder Tour

On Monday, July 25, seven EPIP'ers joined 45 other local and national funders (including guests from the Northwest Area Foundation in Minnesota) and activists for the Potlatch Fund's annual funders' tour to three distinctly different tribal communities - and to witness the final landing of the InterTribal Canoe Journey at Swinomish.

The Potlatch Fund offers this tour to introduce individuals to both the successes and challenges faced by Tribal communities and aim to intentionally show the diverse nature of the Tribal communities and Native organizations that comprise Northwest Indian Country.

Though past funders tours have been blessed with wonderful weather, we traveled through thunder and lightening to reach our destination - only to have the sun pop out just as we were boarding our bus for the return trip to Seattle.

Below is a recap of our journey, courtesy of the Potlatch Fund:

We had the opportunity to see three distinctly different Tribal communities. Tulalip was created as a reservation as a result of the treaties of the 1850’s when a number of different Tribes and Bands were relocated to the land we toured. Tulalip has the most generous land base of the three Tribes we visited, and is also the largest community overall. The overall size of the community and the ongoing issues of trying to become one distinct Tribal entity as opposed to an imposed confederation are major issues for Tulalip.

Stillaguamish, re-gained federal recognition in 1976, and has had to purchase the vast majority of its land back through private land sales in order to best serve its members. We also heard that once land has been acquired there is the additional complexities involved in bringing the lands into “trust” so that they can be preserved in perpetuity.

Swinomish has more of a village feeling to its 2 square mile reservation which allows people to be able to easily move around, but also severely limits options for growth. The surrounding communities of Marysville, Arlington and La Conner are, likewise, very diverse with different economic bases and history of development.

The Potlatch Fund funded 32 of the Canoe Families that arrived in Swinomish on Monday - some who had journeyed from as far as California. The journey was profiled in The New York Times that very same morning - you can read the article here!

EPIP members Heather Miller (Potlatch Fund), Dorothy Longbrake (The Longbrake Family Foundation), Sarah Studer (EPIP Board of Advisors and Seattle co-chair), Katrin Wilde (The Channel Foundation) and Zeke Spier (EPIP Board of Advisors and Social Justice Fund NW) embrace the rain and enjoy the day!

EPIP National Conference Highlight: Learning Tours

Still trying to make the case to your employer about why you should attend EPIP's 2011 National Conference? How about the chance to visit local non-profits in Philadelphia and to engage with local funders who are supporting their work?

The conference will feature three learning tours - each described below!

Farm to Families: Exploring the role of urban agriculture, food access, and social justice opportunity in North Philadelphia

North Philadelphia is the second hungriest congressional district in the United States. The Farm to Families Tour will spotlight a set of multi-field partners organized to get affordable, healthy food from local farmers to families in this section of the city. Participants will learn about food access, nutrition programming, and policy work in Philadelphia, get details on the unique organizations collaborating to make Farm to Families happen, and learn about how one funder proactively structured the project to build strong working relationships among Farm to Families organizations. The tour will visit a local farm, a food packaging center, and distribution sites. Lunch will be prepared with food from Farm to Families farmers!

This tour will engage and visit with:

• Greensgrow
• SHARE Food Program
• Farm to Families Initiative

Why Youth Organizing Matters: How Youth Organizing can truly influence local policy and education reform

The Youth Organizing Learning Tour brings together three of Philadelphia’s youth organizing groups from three different areas of the city: Philly Student Union, Youth United for Change, and Asian Americans United. Tour participants will learn about and have the opportunity to provide insight on youth issues in Philadelphia—from city education reform to the local campaigns of each organization across the city. Participants will be part of a student-led workshop, will provide support to youth organizations through brain-storming sessions, and will tour a Philadelphia School.

This tour will engage and visit with:

• Philadelphia Student Union
• Youth United for Change
• Asian Americans United

The Arts in North Philadelphia: New and creative approaches to community renewal, citizen engagement and behavioral health research

The Arts in North Philadelphia tour will inform participants about how the arts are being used in the city as a vehicle for community empowerment and behavioral health. A visit with behavioral health providers will show how art is serving as a tool to engage patients with health services while reducing social stigma. Tour participants will also have the opportunity to speak with Yale evaluators about how they assess the impact of art interventions.

This tour will engage and visit with:

• The Village of Arts and Humanities
• Crane Arts
• Porch Light Initiative