Project NEWS is so honored to be a recipient of a Kosmos Seed Grant. Theresa Grant Snyder, Chairperson of the Board of The Sacred Pipe Resource Center, said the Board was excited about the project because it will help “amplify the voice of Native people”. Many times, she notes, off-reservation Native Americans are the “hidden” Native Americans. Living off the reservation, they are not recognized or supported as Tribal people with needs and challenges.

Project NEWS (Native Engagement within Systems) is intended to promote civic engagement and social change by empowering the voices of Native people through digital storytelling projects. Our project will provide assistance to Native American individuals who are currently active in the Community Engagement Teams (CETs).

The CETs are deliberate groups of individuals, led by Native Americans but including non-Natives, working on some aspect of social and civic life in the area. There are currently three CETs – American Indian Youth Issues, American Indian Health Issues, and Integrated Cultural Events.

Project NEWS will be used to help Native American CET and community members produce and record research-based, in-depth digital stories. The project will help strengthen isolated voices that do not have access to decision-making mechanisms within justice, housing, economic, educational, and other systems.

Sponsoring Organization – Sacred Pipe Resource Center

Native American people have long relied upon oral tradition for the transfer of information. The elders tell us there is sacredness to the spoken word because it is carried upon the breath of the speaker, a tangible manifestation of one’s spirit.

Traditionally, many Northern Plains Tribes used a pipe on the most solemn of occasions; the smoke being a visible reminder of the sacredness of one’s words and the integrity with which they must be used. It is from this tradition that the Sacred Pipe Resource Center took its name.

As Executive Director of SPRC, I can say that the Kosmos Seed Grant will provide a key role in helping address the needs of the off-reservation population that are sometimes not seen.

What we see is that the discouraging statistics we know impact reservations – poverty, domestic violence, addictions – are just as present in off-reservation populations but with the added impact of isolation and discrimination.

Many times, Native Americans move to off-reservation urban areas for better opportunities, whether it is in jobs, education, health, or other reasons. The move can often come with its own challenges, however, in the form of isolation, discrimination, and lack of support networks. The goal of the SPRC is to help engage the off-reservation Native population and help identify key ways Native people can positively impact their new environment.

The Kosmos Seed Grant is a great way for us to elevate the work we’re doing and we’re so happy to be a recipient of the award.

Cheryl Ann Kary, Ph.D., Executive Director, Sacred Pipe Resource Center