Native Food Sovereignty Summit Coming Up!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by rblauvelt

Registration continues for the Second Annual Native Food Sovereignty Summit that will be held at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 14-17, 2014. First Nations is a proud co-sponsor of this important event along with the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, the Intertribal Agriculture Council and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

Last year’s conference was fully booked — sold out! — and got rave reviews, so register now to ensure you have a seat at this one. Online registration and information is at this link: http://www.firstnations.org/conferences/2014/food/summit.html

We’ll see you in Green Bay next month!

Native Food Sovereignty Summit is April 14-17

Posted on January 20, 2014 by rblauvelt

Registration is open for the Second Annual Native Food Sovereignty Summit that will be held at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 14-17, 2014.

Once again, First Nations is a proud co-sponsor of this important event. Our co-sponsors are the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, the Intertribal Agriculture Council and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

Last year’s conference was fully booked and got rave reviews, so register early to ensure you have a seat at this one. Online registration and information is at this link: http://www.firstnations.org/conferences/2014/food/summit.html

Last year's conference was sold out

There will be two training tracks: Track 1 is Applied Agriculture, and Track 2 is Outreach. Attendees can attend sessions in just one track, or they can customize their experience by selecting from any of the sessions. There are also two optional Field Working Sessions on Thursday, April 17 from 1 to 5 p.m., which will be held at the Oneida Farm, Tsyunhehkwa and the cannery.

Also check the website if you are interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor, or if you want to showcase any traditional foods from other tribes and regions, or want to share samples of your packaging, marketing materials or products.

18th Annual L.E.A.D. Conference a Huge Success

Posted on November 20, 2013 by rblauvelt

First Nations President Michael Roberts opens the conference and introduces the first keynote speaker.

In early October 2013, First Nations held its 18th Annual L.E.A.D. Institute Conference at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota, at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. It attracted a record number of attendees – almost 200 – who journeyed to the event from numerous Native nonprofits, tribal governments, businesses and other entities across the U.S. It also attracted foundation and corporate executives, many of whom presented at workshops or on panels during the conference.

Lori Watso of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community talks about renewable energy and sustainability efforts.

Although the group was diverse, they all shared one common purpose: they are deeply interested in building, rebuilding, growing and improving Native American communities and economies. This is a purpose that aligns directly with First Nations’ own goal and mission.

L.E.A.D. stands for “Leadership and Entrepreneurial Apprenticeship Development” program. It is a First Nations effort designed to provide training, mentorship and networking opportunities to emerging and existing Native American leaders and other professionals, particularly those engaged in nonprofit work but also for those involved in Native businesses and governments.

The conference kicked off with intensive pre-sessions that included the areas of agriculture and Native food sovereignty, financial capability, and urban Indian programs. Co-sponsors of these pre-sessions included the Shakopee Farm, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Northwest Area Foundation and The Kresge Foundation. The pre-sessions ended and the main conference began with a networking reception sponsored by Comcast|NBCUniversal.

The Funders Panel draws lots of interest and questions.

The next day and a half featured keynote presentations and breakout workshops on a variety of topics related to First Nations’ focus areas of asset-building, nonprofit capacity-building and Native food systems. Among the keynote speakers were Lori Watso, secretary/treasurer of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, who spoke about some of the tribe’s renewable energy and sustainability initiatives; and Bill Black, vice president and executive director of the Comcast Foundation and director of community investment for Comcast Corporation, who addressed why and how his company is supporting organizations in Indian Country. The breakout sessions covered areas such as marketing, communications and social media, financial and investor education, good agriculture practices, nonprofit incorporation and board development, Native food policy, and financial management.

Comcast Foundation's Bill Black keynotes about why and how Comcast is supporting Indian Country.

The conference ended with the ever-popular Funders Panel comprised of representatives from foundations that support Indian Country. They provided insights, guidance and tips on dealing with their foundations in seeking support for projects and initiatives. Panelists included representatives from Northwest Area Foundation, Otto Bremer Foundation, CHS Foundation, Bush Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, and First Nations.

By Marsha Whiting, First Nations Senior Program Officer

Native Food Sovereignty Summit is a Hit

Posted on May 17, 2013 by rblauvelt

More than 250 people from all over the U.S. – representing tribes, Native organizations and businesses, food producers and others – packed the Food Sovereignty Summit held in mid-April in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Registration for the conference had to be discontinued well ahead of the event because attendee capacity had been reached.

The summit was sponsored by First Nations, the Oneida Nation, the Intertribal Agriculture Council and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. It was held April 15-18, 2013, at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center.

Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth and White Earth Land Recovery Project

“We were extremely happy with the turnout – which was actually beyond capacity limits – because it showed very strongly that Native food sovereignty is a significant and rapidly growing issue in Indian Country,” said Raymond Foxworth, First Nations senior program officer and the leader of First Nations’ Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative. “It was an impressive coming together of some of the top minds, visionaries and operators in Native food systems work.”

The professional tracks at the conference included Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Community Outreach and Development, and Business Management, Finance and Marketing. Attendees had the option of attending sessions in just one track, or customizing their experience by selecting from any of the sessions. Attendees and presenters shared experiences about food security, food policy, best practices, resources, farm-to-school programs, organic farming, permaculture, entrepreneurship, biofuels, equipment, animal diseases and other issues. Besides the general and breakout sessions, the event featured networking events, educational films, and tours of the Oneida Nation integrated

Michael E. Roberts, president First Nations Development Institute

food system’s cannery, orchard, bison herd, farm, warehouse and retail store.

Food sovereignty is an important issue because Native communities are struggling to fight food-related disease and regain health and good nutrition through traditional diets, regain or retain cultural and agricultural traditions and practices, and stimulate economic development by developing and controlling food systems in their tribes and communities.

“We are pleased to have been involved in the monumental event with our co-organizers,” Raymond added. “The summit allowed attendees to hear and learn from some of the top food-system programs in Indian Country. In the coming months, First Nations will be hosting a number of technical assistance webinars on various topics of interest identified by summit attendees. We hope the webinars, combined with the information provided at the summit, will allow the attendees to use all this information in their communities and continue to develop strong programs to reclaim control of local Native food systems.”

Article and photos by Jackie Francke, First Nations Senior Program Officer