Indigenous Empowerment & Resilience Training
What is it?
The Indigenous Empowerment & Resilience Training is the NIEA’s most requested training. The 4-hour session is a unique, participatory history lesson – developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers and educators – that fosters truth, understanding, respect, and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The Blanket Exercise is designed to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the denial of Indigenous peoples’ sovereignty, the historic relationship between European and Indigenous nations, and the impacts of colonization.
This training is adapted from the Kairos Blanket Exercise Healing Exercise. The National Indian Education Association partnered with KAIROS Canada in 2018 to become certified facilitators of the Kairos Blanket Healing Exercise so that we would be able to provide and implement the blanket healing exercise in our own local communities, both Native and non-Native. Eight years later, we have expanded the training to more deeply connect to the context of Native education in the United States.
Who is it for?
The training is designed to be inclusive and relevant for a variety of diverse audiences.
This may include:
Teachers and administrators
Leaders in school, district, state, and tribal educational systems
Community members and advocates
Educational non-profits
Policymakers
Youth workers
Other educational stakeholders
To request the Indigenous Empowerment & Resilience Training in your own community, please contact Helen Thomas at HThomas@niea.org