Quarterly Newsletter
“Honoring Our Past, Present, and Future Generations”
NICWA News is the quarterly newsletter for members and donors of the National Indian Child Welfare Association. Donate or become a member today to subscribe.
A Message from NICWA’s Executive Director
Dear NICWA Members, Sponsors, Donors, and Friends,
For 38 years, our board of directors, board of trustees, staff, partners, families, and allies have met in April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, to gather together and share our collective wisdom about how to draw on our cultural traditions and teachings to strengthen American Indian and Alaska Native families and children. The 38th Annual Protecting Our Children Conference theme, “Honoring Our Past, Present, and Future Generations: Living Our Tribal Cultural Values and Beliefs,” focuses on the opportunity we each have to exemplify our Tribal values and beliefs in our attitude and conduct in the work we do in our communities for the benefit of children as well as in the way we carry ourselves in our own extended families.
At their core, Indigenous worldviews are relational. As Indigenous people, we orient ourselves to the world through our relationships with human beings, animals, and our environment. According to our worldview, all things are related to one another, and we make meaning of the world around us through holding these relationships in context.
One of the things I most look forward to each year is the NICWA conference. While I’m fortunate to travel to many Tribal communities throughout the year, there are many dear friends and partners that I only see at our conference. This opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones motivates and sustains me for the work we do all year long. This chance to hear from you about the strengths and challenges of your work in your community helps me to be a better advocate and to bolster NICWA programming.
The NICWA conference gives us the opportunity to summon the collective power of our cultural values and traditions in service to our communities and families. We know best how to apply the wisdom encoded in our values and beliefs to nurture our children and support Native families.
I hope to see you at conference, and I hope this Spring newsletter is an additional opportunity for you to experience and be inspired by our culture in action.
Quyanaa on behalf of Alaska Native and American Indian children and families.
Sincerely,
Sarah L. Kastelic, PhD, MSW
(Alutiiq)