Local program brings Indigenous voices to the table and the White House

The article below was copied from West Central Initiative’s Live Wide Open Section

Marlena Hanson hadn’t worked in six years when she applied to participate in the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative. One year into recovery, she was sitting on her mom’s bed when she found the Facebook ad for the program. Hanson hadn’t left the house in over a year in fear of relapsing but was interested in participating in the program. 

“I wanted to get out again and be social, so I joined the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative cohort,” Hanson shared. “Taking the class empowered me to find out what my passion was and what I wanted to do—and that, I guess, is policy work!”  

Bunker riding her scooter

The Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative supports parents and builds leadership skills through a cultural lens. It’s based on the curriculum established by Dr. Anton Treuer and community elders.   

Fast-forward a few years, and Hanson now sits on 14 state policy councils, has advised policymakers in California, and is graduating with her bachelor’s degree in social work from Bemidji State University while working full-time for All Nations Rise.  

Ashley Bunker and Stephanie Longfield, also years into recovery, gravitated towards the Indigenous Parenting Leadership Initiative to get back into the community and improve parenting leadership skills, respectively. “My sister dragged me along, and I quickly realized I really liked participating,” Longfield said. 

In April 2024, Bunker and Longfield spoke in Washington D.C. to senior staffers after scootering down the National Mall in ribbon skirts. “Seven years into recovery, I never thought I would be visiting the White House, much less being invited to speak at a congressional briefing.” recounted Bunker. 

All three Indigenous women leaders have something in common: They’re facilitators and graduates of the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative program. 

Holding space for Healing and Sharing Tools for Advocacy 

So, what is the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative’s secret to catalyzing participants’ individual growth? 

The program, created by All Nations Rise, combines the National Parent Leadership Training Institute curriculum and the curriculum of Indigenous Foundations for Anishinaabe teachings. All Nations Rise is an Indigenous women-led non-profit dedicated to enhancing the well-being of children and parents through multi-generational efforts. It’s also the sponsoring agency for the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative. By supporting tribal communities, All Nations Rise emphasizes a cultural perspective in its initiatives to achieve lasting and meaningful change. 

The National Parent Leadership Training Institute curriculum is an evidence-based training to equip parents and caregivers to speak up on behalf of their children and families.  

“As for the Indigenous teachings, researchers led by Dr. Anton Treuer went to the community and asked the elders, ‘If we were to give a broad exposure to the culture, what would that look like and what would they do?’ They came back with a seasonal, broad set of lessons—keeping in mind that some of these teachings have never been taught to our participants,” explains Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative Coordinator Beth Ann Dodds. 

“Phase one, or the first 11 weeks of the program, is the participants’ time to get vulnerable and emotional and to build community within the cohort,” explains Dodds. “It’s a time for participants to explore their identity, look at who they are, and name their assets and needs.”  

For example, knowing and receiving an individual’s spirit name is a way that the program holds space for participants to learn, embrace, and stand tall in their Indigenous identity. In cohort two, cultural leader Susie Ballot helped nine out of 11 participants and their children receive spirit names. 

Phase two, or the next 11 weeks, focuses on understanding networking, the power of the media, coalition building, and the ins and outs of Tribal and local government to navigate systems and bring a community project to life—essentially, the practical tools and practices needed to make change within a community.  

In Hanson’s words, “This class helped me make sense of walking in two worlds––being Indigenous and trying to find who you are as an Indigenous person, and then having to navigate the Western world too. This class made it possible for you to both together—to understand that it’s possible and stay true to your Indigenous self.” 

From Individual to Community-Level Change 

Left to right: Sandy Lindstrom, Marlena Hanson, Kris Manning, Beth Ann Dodds, Stephanie Longfield, and Celeste Koppe

“How do you help the kids? You nurture the parents,” noted Dodds. This concept is at the heart of the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative program, as individuals work on themselves with the motivation to improve their family situation. This is ultimately done through community and civic engagement, as each participant creates and implements an action project. 

Since graduating, Bunker has advocated for increased awareness and prevention of childhood sexual assault through meeting with the Mahnomen school district administration and staff to implement Erin’s Law. 

Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative facilitators amp up the whole family approach by providing leadership content for the children of participants through the Indigenous Child Leadership Initiative.  

“Our children are going to go through the same parallel curriculum with the parents—in a separate room,” explains Indigenous Child Leadership Initiative Facilitator Kris Manning. “While the parents are creating individual projects, the children are working on developing a group project and finding their voices. Children and parents will graduate together this year.” 

And what happens when you build a network of stronger families across White Earth Nation? “I have people now that I will know and love forever because of the connections made in this room,” Longfield said.  

Bunker agreed, “It’s bringing us into one community in White Earth, and that’s what we need. Sometimes, there’s tension about who gets what regarding resources and programs, so it can be a battle. Seeing many of us from different communities and realizing it doesn’t have to be that way is powerful. We can be a family.” 
 
Witnesses to the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative work also feel the program’s effects. Sandy Lindstrom, a new Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative facilitator, shared, “After 20 years in social work, I’ve never been a part of something with these ripple effects where their kids’ kids feel it. It just moved me. I just wanted to be a part of something magical—beyond magical—something that is working.”