North American Community Environmental Leadership Exchange 2013
NACELE 2013 was a highly successful two-part event on the theme From Conflict to Collaboration in Indigenous Territories: Tribal Strategies for Resistance and Restoration. The NACELE workshop, held in the Capay Valley of California, 14-17 October 2013, convened 30 indigenous environmental leaders, including representatives of Eat Your Heritage, a Guamanian movement for cultural revitalisation through food sovereignty. Excursions to the Yocha Dehe Tribal Nation’s olive oil press and Cache Creek Conservancy complemented indepth discussions on the workshop theme, considering issues of food sovereignty, conservation and governance. The workshop led into the Bioneers 2013 Conference, where attendees actively carried case studies and results into a panel in the Indigeneity Programme.
In addition to knowledge sharing and cross-mentoring, NACELE participants reported feeling strongly supported and energised by the workshop, finding connections and allies in their work. Indigenous academics received strong affirmation from practitioners and tribal government members for their work to indigenise the academy, while indigenous governance officials and environmental practitioners and activists appreciated affirmation of their hard-fought gains and the fruits of connecting with one another to exchange expertise and technical and cultural knowledge. Younger participants heard how critical their energy, skills and ideas were to native communities, made mentoring and networking connections and received encouragement to continue their bridging work and activism in law, ecology, food sovereignty, media and the arts.
North American Community Environmental Leadership Exchange 2015
NACELE 2015 was held at the Montréal Botanical Garden (MBG) from 18-22 June 2015. Drawing from its location, the theme, “Nourishing Relations: People, Plants and Place”, focused on indigenous practices of connection with biocultural diversity in both rural and urban lands and waters. During the four-day workshop, 40 indigenous environmental leaders from Canada and the United States met on traditional Mohawk/Kanienkeha’ka territory at the MBG and in the community of Kahnawà:ke. Professionals, practitioners, elders and youth shared research, strategies and tactics and stories of resistance, joy, tragedy, hope and transformation. We explored potential collaboration for environmentally sound solutions for critical issues facing indigenous communities in the 21st century.
North American Community Environmental Leadership Exchange 2017
NACELE 2017 was held from February 9-14 in Sonora, Mexico, in the Comcaac community of Socaaix (Punta Chueca) and the Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies. This exchange provided a space of training, network development, and discussion for Indigenous community leaders in northwestern Mexico on the theme “Collaborating in the Face of Change: Strategies for Biocultural Protection and Defense”. During the 4-day workshop, 65 participants from 12 Indigenous nations shared knowledge on the core themes of territory defense, local economies, art and transformation, biodiversity and wildlife monitoring, food sovereignty, and communications. Read our GEN Story on the event, including photos, participant reflections, and the seeds of future collaborations planted at the event.
To learn more about our community exchanges, please visit the Global Environments Network website for NACELE 2013 in the Capay Valley, California, NACELE 2015 in Montreal, Canada and NACELE 2017 in Sonora, Mexico. For more on past events in Latin America, read about the first Latin American Academy of Socio-Environmental Leadership (ALLSA) 2015 in the Dominican Republic, as well as co-organiser Ana Elia Ramon Hidalgo’s blog post (in English).
