Pathways to Prosperity

Program

Presented by United Indians of

All Tribes Foundation

Initial funding provided

by the Northwest Area Foundation
 Principle Partners

 United Indians of All Tribes

Foundation and the Native
American Community of Seattle

 Northwest Area Foundation

 United Indians of All
Tribes Foundation

 Founded by Bernie Whitebear and

supporters in 1972
 30+ year history of serving the
social, economic, educational and
cultural needs of Native Americans
in the Puget Sound region
 Project implementer and convener
of coalition
 Northwest Area
Foundation

 A grant-making Foundation founded in 1934

 Focused on long-term poverty reduction in the
Northwest
 Launched an Urban Native American poverty
reduction initiative
 Awarded United Indians of All Tribes
Foundation a two-year initial grant
 Program Goal

To assist our
Native Community
in the journey from
poverty to well-being
 First Steps: Shelangen
Coalition
• “Shelangen” (means “together” in
Coast Salish)
• 300 Native Americans participated
• Analyzed root causes of poverty
and searched for solutions
• 2,000 Native American
individuals and many families
surveyed and interviewed
 Critical Challenges facing
the Seattle Native
American Community

 30% live below the poverty line

 Highest level of homelessness of
any group
 Real unemployment levels are
near 25%
 Critical Challenges facing
the Seattle Native
American Community

Highest levels of:

 infant mortality rate
 diabetes, heart disease and cancer
 addictions and chronic mental health
issues
 disabilities
 Origins of the Model

The Pathway to Prosperity Program

is based on 40 years of field
experimentation and consultation
with Indigenous communities and
development thinkers across North
America and beyond.
 Origins of the Model

 In Seattle through the work of

United Indians beginning in
1974
 Community Input Process

 100 Families Project

 Continuous experimentation
in community program
development
 Origins of the Model

 Across North America and worldwide

through the work of Four Worlds
International
 Hundreds of Indigenous communities

engaged since 1982

 Models and principles developed and

synthesized through continuous

cycles of action and reflection
 Many Indigenous Elders, spiritual

and community leaders consulted

 Numerous research studies and

publications produced
What is poverty?
Poverty is not simply “a lack of jobs or
income”, but rather “a web of interwoven
problems—poor schooling, bad health,
family troubles, racism, crime and
unemployment—that can lock families out of
opportunity, permanently”.

Joan Walsh “Stories of Community Building and the

Future of Urban America”
The Tree of Poverty has many roots
 What Determines Poverty?

1. Poor health
2. Weak cultural and spiritual
identity
3. Unmet basic needs
4. Lack of basic safety and
security
5. Fractured social networks
What Determines Poverty?

6. Poor education
7. Unemployment/low wages
8. Poor access to social
services
9. Racism and discrimination
in society
10. Ineffective public policy
 Poor Physical, Weakened
Mental & Cultural &
Emotional Health Spiritual
Identity

Ineffective
Public Policy &
Programmatic Unmet
Initiatives Basic
Needs

Racism &
Discriminatory
Public Determinants Lack of
Practices of Poverty Personal
Safety &
Security

Lack of access
to Appropriate
& Adequate Fractured
Social Services Social
Cohesion
Low Income &
Lack of Access
to Economic Low Levels of
Development Education &
Opportunities
Training

Summary of Determinants of Poverty

Our Primary Strategy

Transform the
Determinants of Poverty
into the
Determinants of Well-being
 Determinants of Well-being

Poor health
Vibrant health
Weak cultural and spiritual identity
Strong cultural and spiritual identity
Unmet basic needs
Basic needs fulfilled
Lack of basic safety and security
Personal safety and security
Fractured social networks
Strong social networks
 Determinants of Well-being
Poor education
Appropriate education and training
Unemployment/low wages
Adequate income opportunities
Poor access to social services
Appropriate and adequate social services
Racism and discrimination in society
A societal climate that appreciates
diversity and fosters inclusion
Ineffective public policy
Effective public policy
 Pathway to Prosperity
Four Strategic Elements

1. Address the Determinants of Poverty

2. Use a wholistic, systems approach

3. Working from principle

4. Start small before scaling up

 Pathways to Prosperity
Program
 A comprehensive web of
opportunities that form a
pathway
 The Journey

What do people need to make the journey

from chronic poverty and dependency to
sustainable well-being and prosperity?
Prosperity

help ?
connect
support

Poverty
culture

healing jobs
skills
Nine Lines of Action

for Promoting

Prosperity and

Wellbeing
 –1–
Education and Training

Early childhood development Cultural Job

Foundations Readiness
Employment Life
skills GED Strengthening
Skills
Community
Entrepreneurial Institutions
Development United Indians And Programs
Headstart and
Literacy
Early Headstart Leadership
Development
Wellness
Community
Development Parenting
Family
Education
Strengthening
 –2–
Health and Wellness

 Healing and recovery from

the impacts of trauma
 Addiction recovery
 Personal growth
 Access to health services
 Community action for
health
 Influencing public policy
 –3–
Cultural and Spiritual Revitalization
Cultural
Elders
based Council
enterprises

Drawing on
Cultural events and
Culture Cultural
gatherings
Leaders

Culturally based
education and training Applying Cultural
Knowledge to
Cultural Development Problems
Research
 –4–
Community Building

Community involvement in program governance

Community Community based

Learning and Research and
Planning Evaluation

Community Engagement in Strategic Action

 –4–
Community Building

Specifically:
1. Bernie Whitebear Center for
Human and Community
Development
2. Quarterly gatherings for
evaluation, learning and
planning
3. Community core groups
4. Community learning processes
5. Community based enterprises
 –5–

Offering a “hand-up” and

“bridge-building”
 Targeted small scale help to
families already engaged in the
journey
• Eg., a bus pass, help with
groceries until month end,
child care emergencies
 Access to micro-loans
 Access to affordable housing
 One stop shopping and connection
to support and opportunities
 –6–

Goal: establish a Native American

Community Economic
Community Economic
Development Corporation
Development

 Building individual and community

capacity for economic success
 Job placement and support
 Small business incubation and support
 Social enterprise initiative
• Teepee Camp
• Salmon Bake Center
• Northwest Canoe House
 Capitalization of Native community
business development
 –7–
Partnership Building

 Circle of partners to be established

to ensure all needed services are
available
 Special focus on partnerships with
other minorities, organizations and
groups working on poverty issues
 –8–

Strategic Communication
1. Using media for education and
community development
2. Community participation to
ensure strong community voice
3. Strategic dialogue between
partners
4. Communicate lessons learned
to wider world, funders, and
other communities
 –9–
Public Policy Engagement

 Policy research relevant to

poverty alleviation
 Systematic outreach to public
policy makers
 Focus on influence through
constructive dialogue
Pathway to Prosperity Program

 More than a 2 year project, it’s a

10 to 20 year journey

 All the component strategies

linked to the Determinants of
Poverty. All are necessary. It
won’t work to do some parts but
not others.
 Pathway to Prosperity Program

 The heart and soul of the

Pathways to Prosperity Program is
building capacity for sustainable
well-being and prosperity
 Individual
 Families
 Organizations
 Networks and partners
 Decision makers
 Funders
 Allies
 Pathway to Prosperity Program

 More than a technical project,

also a spiritual journey.
 No unity, no development
d
 FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.unitedindians.org
email: prosperity@unitedindians.org

206.285.4425

P.O. Box 99100

Seattle, WA 98139

www.fwii.net