Urban Indian Policy Roundtable - Rural Dynamics

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Table of Contents Executive Summaries.................................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations at a Glance .................................................................................................................... 2 An “Invisible Population”: Urban Indians in Montana................................................................................ 4 Montana Urban Indian Policy Roundtable Objectives ..................................................................................4 Brief Synopsis of the Great Falls & Helena Roundtables Roundtable Process and Purpose .................................................................................................................. 5 Demonstrating the Need ............................................................................................................................... 6 Support from the State, Region & Nation ..................................................................................................... 8 Six Areas for Policy Change with Recommendations Employment & Training ................................................................................................................10 Housing ..........................................................................................................................................12 Education .......................................................................................................................................14 Economic Development .................................................................................................................16 Health .............................................................................................................................................18 Government Relations ....................................................................................................................20 Next Steps ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 Participant Lists ............................................................................................................................................ 23
Executive Summaries Too often in the discussion of Native Americans and their history, current status and future, the large and growing population of off-reservation and urban Indians is overlooked; this oversight takes place at both the national and state levels. Urban Indians have less resources and opportunities than their reservation-based relatives. They face many obstacles that are becoming more difficult to overcome and occur in a faster and more competitive environment. Traditional, piece-meal problem solving must be replaced with a new approach of large scale, non-linear, opportunity oriented, and strategic based work. To paraphrase FedEx CEO, Fred Smith, “Most people try to solve a problem by creating a war machine. They charge up the hill, and they’re overcome by the complexity, the inability to marshal the people, and understand what they’re doing, and it all caves in on itself. Instead, you have to break the problems up into pieces and choose a small enough piece to simplify. And yet, someone has to know enough about the problem to understand all the aspects.” Our urban Indian roundtables will be followed by Working Groups that will work on the “pieces” and organize them in such a way that “simplicity will become reality.” James Parker Shield Director of War Shield Development We began the roundtables by posing generative questions: What programs and policies currently work to the benefit of Montana’s urban Indian communities? How can we expand and improve upon this progress? What areas still need to be addressed? What are the desired outcomes we envision for the urban Indian community? What would happen if the urban Indian community spoke out with a common voice to promote their collective values to state government? Over the course of the roundtables, the urban Indian community began to do just that. Leaders and citizens came together to discuss their vision for the future, and hope was pervasive. Not only did optimism resound, but participants recognized the strength of the collective voice and identified ways to increase participation. Working across borders, both state and tribal, we can develop and expand strategies that will further develop a region that embraces both cultural and economic prosperity. Tom Jacobson Director of Rural Dynamics, Inc. 1
Page 1: Montana Urban Indian Policy Roundta
Page 4 and 5: We envision a region where individu
Page 8 and 9: Recommendations at a Glance Employm
Page 10 and 11: The Report An “Invisible Populati
Page 12 and 13: Demonstrating the Need Population S
Page 14 and 15: Voices of Support Honorable Lieuten
Page 16 and 17: Employment and Training Roundtable
Page 18 and 19: Housing Roundtable I: Great Falls F
Page 20 and 21: Education Roundtable I: Great Falls
Page 22 and 23: Economic Development Roundtable I:
Page 24 and 25: Health Roundtable I: Great Falls Fa
Page 26 and 27: Government Relations Roundtable I:
Page 28 and 29: Next Steps Working Groups To build
Page 30: Worth Cissy Benefis Native American

Urban Indian Policy Roundtable - Rural Dynamics

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