The Mashpee Wampanoag Education Department has recently been awarded a New ARP-AIRE 3 year grant to continue to pursue addressing the education needs of native youth. Mashpee was 1 of the 15 selected, from a field of 45 applications submitted, for this highly competitive grant. The grant is authorized under Section 11006(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The project is seeking to utilize academic and cultural programming to enhance student’s success in continuing their education. This 4 pronged approach will focus on culturally based STEM projects, Afterschool Academic instructional support, culturally based advanced opportunities, and College, career and workforce planning. Some of the intended programming includes, ribbon skirt making, traditional home site construction, whaling education, college visits, paid internships, academic tutoring, and more.
The Education team prioritizes advocating and supporting all Native students, with the goal of promoting activities that embody ancestral teachings, from which Native youth can draw strength and grow healthily, while working through the expectations of the formal education system. This helps our efforts by giving them hands on experiences to learn more about themselves as native people and exposing them to the different opportunities they have access to. We hope to encourage our students through self-awareness, academic support, and traditional values.
This grant is a great complement to the Education Department’s current State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) Grant that focuses on building the capacity of Local and State Education Agencies, to work more effectively with Native youth, while increasing the tribe’s capacity to engage with and work directly with educators of Native youth, while advocating for increased, meaningful opportunities. The STEP team focuses on providing and advocating for accurate content to be taught in the classroom, fighting for equal opportunities for Native student, and holding Public Schools accountable for their decisions when educating Native youth. ARP-AIRE allows us to service the students directly and give them more tools for a prosperous future in education.
COVID has forced troubling times on all of us but our students are facing a larger disconnect in a society that already creates challenges for them. This grant calls for the expertise of different members in the community as we develop different culture programming. Therefore, we will continuously be seeking culture keepers to lead the workshops and projects.
The Education Department has been developing a Speakers Bureau. If you are interested in being a resource for the Education Department please contact Cultural Outreach Coordinator, Darius Coombs at 508-477-0208 ext. 162 Darius.Coombs@mwtribe-nsn.gov
The education department team looks forward to providing direct services to our tribal community again! Our youth’s future will depend on all our efforts.
The Education Department consists of Roxanne Mills Brown, Director; Cameron Greendeer, STEP Program Manager; John Hanlon, Consultant; Darius Coombs, Cultural Outreach Coordinator; Talia Landry, Communications Coordinator; Kitty Hendricks-Miller, Indian Education coordinator; Marnell Cash, Program 477 Grant Manager (Workforce, Education, & Training).
