The OJI:SDA' Center for Intergenerational Learning

Elon Musk is an American entrepreneur who intends to colonize Mars. On a podcast, Musk said that his SpaceX ships would start transporting people to Mars within ten years. 

Elon Musk’s plan is a result of public school education that promotes genocidal mindsets. A concrete example of genocidal thinking in K-12 is a youth program at NASA called the Imagine Mars Project. The Imagine Mars Project asks youth to work with NASA scientists and engineers to imagine a community on Mars and express their ideas through the Arts and Humanities. This project enables students to explore their own community and decide which arts, scientific, and cultural elements will be important on Mars. Then, they develop their concepts relating to a future Mars community. While this program is a great opportunity to learn STEM skills and engage youth, OJI:SDA’ finds that through this program and many others like it, Science teachers are reinforcing the idea that the Land is not worthy of restoration. This reinforces the Eurocentric ideal of over-consumption, waste, and disconnection. K-12 institutions are training the next generation to become 21st-century learners at the expense of human life.  

We need to decolonize the way we educate youth about the relationship with the Land we are on. Instead of more Science projects that promote the abandonment of Earth, we need to teach hope and Land-based environmental stewardship. 

More than that, a complete and balanced education comes from including a diverse landscape of cultural perspectives. The traditional Indigenous perspective and teachings are not represented in the mainstream education system today.   Furthermore, authentic Indigenous curricula created and informed by Indigenous people are rare. It is important for peoples’ narratives to be told by themselves. 

The environmental challenges and social upheaval of today require a shift in consciousness that fosters respect for the Land and cultivates positive relationships between people and all other species.  Indigenous models of education provide a powerful tool for transforming systems of learning and promoting intercultural understanding, inclusivity, cooperation, and collaboration between Indigenous and non-native peoples.  Providing an educational experience that supports youths' perspectives to be more rooted in land relationships promotes good self-care practices within them, kindness in relation to others, and informs practical lifestyle choices that take the Earth and environment into consideration.

The OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning will encourage an interdisciplinary approach to learning that integrates STEM and problem-solving processes in a way that will sustain the futurity of our communities on Earth.

The OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning will partner with 20 teachers in 5 different schools during the 2022-2023 school year. We will create and provide a framework that incorporates teachings from 15 Haudenosaunee Elders and Knowledge Carriers, STEM skills that guide youth through problem-solving processes, and educational technology tools to transform the way youth are expressing themselves. We believe that all youth deserve an education that is challenging, is experiential, life-affirming, and ensures the sustainability of the elements of Earth, our communities, and our cultural practices. 

During our inaugural 5-day OJI:SDA’ Teacher Gathering in August of 2022, the OJI:SDA’ Founder and Executive Director, OJI:SDA’ Director of the Center for Intergenerational Learning, and 5 Haudenosaunee Elders and Knowledge Carriers will train teachers to utilize the OJI:SDA’ framework to construct a Land-based curriculum that embodies a multidisciplinary approach that allows youth to learn and practice STEM skills to solve problems and drive their own learning. During the OJI:SDA’ Teacher Gathering, teachers will experience what Land-based learning feels like using dynamic storytelling to create an immersive professional development that will result in a curriculum that decenters Eurocentric belief systems and allows youth and teachers to experience hands-on learning with nature. 

During the 2022-2023 school year, teachers will implement the curriculum they created with periodic professional development sessions that offer planning time, debriefing, and reflection opportunities. The OJI:SDA’ Director of the Center for Intergenerational Learning will provide coaching and mentor teachers during implementation, evaluate the curriculum to ensure it is doing what we hope for, and finalize the curriculum with teachers based on youth feedback. 

The culminating Land-based curriculum will then become available for school districts, schools, and teachers in the region and beyond interested in utilizing this approach to transform their learning spaces. Schools can either partner with us to co-construct curriculum and/or they can utilize the OJI:SDA’ framework and curriculum that has been developed during the 2022-2023 school year to transform their learning spaces. 

This work acknowledges and validates the belief that when teachers and youth are using Indigenous values to inform the instructional decisions that they make, but also having candid conversations about Indigenous sovereignty and liberation, it will plant the seed for liberation beyond classroom walls. And most importantly, it will embolden students and teachers, to understand more deeply their relationship with the Land and find healing, joy, nourishments, and understanding in that omnipresent connection.

The OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning is designed to mentor a cohort of 20 public school teachers in the construction of a Land-based curriculum for K-12 students. This guidance for the teacher is grounded in long-established traditional Indigenous approaches for guiding a child’s learning and development which will be informed by Haudenosaunee Elders and Knowledge Carriers. Specifically, in Indigenous communities, learning occurs predominantly through observation and experiential learning.  To deepen the relationship with the Land, OJI:SDA’s vision is to shift classroom pedagogy from a rules-based, assumption-driven environment to one that includes youth in instructional decisions, provides context for instructional decisions made, and centers learning activities that encourage joy instead of compliance. 

The envisioned outcome will be that OJI:SDA’ teachers will develop the knowledge, insight, and skill to create robust curricula that unpack the legacy of misinformation pertaining to Native peoples and fosters the development of a deeply ingrained relationship between people and the natural world, provide important lessons about the Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, and the Sciences, and allows youth to show up as their most authentic selves. Teachers we are collaborating with will improve their instructional practices for increased student engagement in a way that radically humanizes the educational experience. Additionally, we are working with teachers to provide STEM skills and equitable educational environments where all students can succeed. We are encouraging innovation in a way that is relevant to the real-world needs and goals of youth and their families. This curriculum will increase Indigenous representation in the fields of Technology, Engineering, and Sciences. This outcome will lead to transformed learning spaces for youth, families, and educators where all communities, especially Indigenous Nations, are seen and heard and our Earth is respected and cared for. 

The OJI:SDA' Center for Intergenerational Learning will cultivate equitable learning experiences that will result in: 

• Teachers will improve their instructional practices for increased student engagement
• Youth are able to show up to the learning space as their most authentic selves 
• Youth understand and can move through the engineering design process for problem-solving 
• Youth respect Indigenous cultures, history, and values.
• Youth has developed a sense of responsibility to care for the Earth.
• Youth are able to drive their own learning and explain the context for most instructional activities. 
• Youth have agency over what is taught and learned in their class
• Youth engage in conversations that lead to knowing oneself and healing from institutional oppression 
• Teachers are utilizing various technologies to amplify learning experiences
• Youth are utilizing educational technology tools to solve problems 
• Youth and teachers are collaborating with an Indigenous-led intergenerational community

This will cause a cultural shift that will impact our greater communities beyond K-12 that will ultimately eradicate systemic oppression. 

Tahila Mintz, MFA (Yoeme) is the Founding Executive Director of OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures.

Tahila is an Indigenous Yaqui/Jewish media maker, ancestral scribe, educator, and community organizer. She works across multiple platforms to amplify the voices of Indigenous people and the natural world. She has a long history of working in indigenous communities and between communities to weave sustainable, supportive systems of utility, visibility, and guardianship. She has extensive knowledge of plant medicines and traditional healing practices. She holds an MFA from the University of Texas, Austin, and was previously
full-time faculty at Texas State University and Texas Central College. Tahila is a National Geographic Fellow. 

As an Indigenous media maker and a member of the Onondaga Nation suicide prevention group, she wanted to create a tool to help youth heal from the isolation of the pandemic. Tahila created a tool using 360 Virtual Reality. When plugged into this device, youth can connect with their culture, Indigenous teachings, and territory. Experiencing the beauty of the Land using 360 Virtual Reality technology is a way for youth to feel seen and valued. It also will remind youth that the Earth is there to nurture them. This experience is a snapshot of what the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning will be like because of the integration of Haudenosaunee cosmology, immersive educational technology tools, and STEM skills will give youth the tools they need to solve problems.

Maribel Valdez Gonzalez, M.Ed. (Xicana) is the director of the OJI:SDA' Center for Intergenerational Learning and will be directing the programmatic efforts of the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning.

As a daughter of Indigenous Mexican migrants and a former classroom teacher, Maribel realized that her experience as a child in public education shaped much of how she relates to herself, others, and the Land. She first entered the classroom as an English teacher to be transparent with youth about how racism shows up in institutional spaces and its impact on communities. However, she quickly realized that the gaps in honoring our collective humanity lay within the policies, curriculum practices, and standards in schools and need to be transformed to reflect our hope for the future. This personal experience accompanied by her professional experience informs why she is passionate about transforming public education so that all youth, especially Indigenous children, experience learning that validates their identities, experiences, and way of life. 

Maribel was a STEM Integration and Project-Based Learning Transformation Coach for Technology Access Foundation. She worked to create transformative systems of learning for students and teachers to eliminate
race-based disparities by partnering with teachers to cultivate a project-based learning environment in Seattle Public Schools and neighboring districts. Maribel is also a National Faculty member at the Buck Institute for Education, focusing on school-wide project-based learning implementation. As an associate professor for the School of Education and Leadership at the City University of Seattle, Maribel's goal is to create academically engaging learning experiences through a culturally sustaining environment that fosters empowerment, decolonial healing, and radical kindness.

We hope to receive guidance on strategic ways to scale the program so that more school communities have access to the resources produced by the OJI:SDA' Center for Intergenerational Learning. In our first year, we are working in more rural communities where the majority of the demographics of youth, teachers, and families represent non-Native communities. In our second year, we hope to expand to Buffalo, New York. Buffalo has a high urban native population. We want to purposefully utilize the curriculum that was constructed in the pilot year in Buffalo to receive feedback from Native youth. The expansion of this program to various environments and communities will help to disseminate the curriculum to achieve our desired outcomes where all youth, teachers, and families learn multidisciplinary, Land-based strategies and processes that sustain our lives on Earth. This expansion will give us a tremendous amount of feedback to improve our offerings. Our goal is to be able to share the Land-based STEM Indigenized curriculum with all schools in New York State by 2026. 

We are integrating both Indigenous and contemporary technologies in a curriculum that has been constructed by teachers implementing it in their own classrooms. This curriculum will be informed by Indigenous Elders and Knowledge carriers who will have a real relationship with the teachers constructing and implementing in their learning spaces. This is a great opportunity to be able to shift minds, hearts, and instructional practices that will impact hundreds of students, their families, and their communities. 

We will create more access to the curriculum developed by the OJI:SDA' Center for Intergenerational Learning. In our first year, we are working in more rural communities where the majority of the demographics of youth, teachers, and families represent non-Native communities. In our second year, we hope to expand to Buffalo, New York. Buffalo has a high urban native population. We want to purposefully utilize the curriculum that was constructed in the pilot year in Buffalo to receive feedback from Native youth. The expansion of this program to various environments and communities will help to disseminate the curriculum to achieve our desired outcomes where all youth, teachers, and families learn multidisciplinary, Land-based strategies and processes that sustain our lives on Earth. This expansion will give us a tremendous amount of feedback to improve our offerings. Our goal is to be able to share the Land-based STEM Indigenized curriculum with all schools in New York State by 2026. 

There will be a few models for schools to collaborate with the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning. For instance, the OJI:SDA' education team will be available to provide professional developments to train teachers on how to implement the OJI:SDA’ Land-based curriculum. After the 2023-2024 school year, the Land-based curriculum will be finalized for other school districts in New York state to license and they will have a choice in the level of support from the OJI:SDA’ education team. 

We will reach these schools by building authentic relationships with teachers, school administrators, district personnel, and families. 

We will collect data about the success of the program by observing teachers in their classrooms during implementation using a Land-based Curriculum practitioner’s rubric that will accompany the OJI:SDA’ Framework. This rubric is non-evaluative in nature but will serve as a way to offer concrete feedback to teachers to ensure they are teaching using Indigenous teachings and guidance from the OJI:SDA’ framework. 

Additionally, we will create youth surveys as well as work with teachers to create space for youth to offer feedback to the curriculum that is developed via Listening Sessions. 

Based on data collected using the OJI:SDA’ foundational tools (framework informed by Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Carriers, Land-based curriculum practitioner’s Rubric, and the Data Collection Templates), the following represents what success will look like for the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning: 

• Youth are able to show up to the learning space as their most authentic selves 
• Youth understand and can move through the engineering design process for problem-solving 
• Youth respect Indigenous cultures, history, and values 
• Youth has developed a sense of responsibility to care for the Earth 
• Youth are able to drive their own learning and explain the context for most instructional activities
• Youth have agency over what is taught and learned in their class
• Youth engage in conversations that lead to knowing oneself and healing from institutional oppression 
• Youth are utilizing educational technology tools to solve problems 
• Youth are collaborating with an Indigenous-led intergenerational community

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

There is a culture of exclusion that is a component of systemic oppression found in curriculum, standards, and policies in K-12. 

Who is your key audience?

Native and non-Native students and teachers in New York State and beyond 

What is your entry point to reaching your audience?

Pilot Program within rural upstate New York and urban Native American saturated Buffalo, New York 

What steps are needed to bring about change?

Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems embedded in state-mandated curriculum created by Indigenous people 

What is the measurable effect of your work? What are the wider benefits of your work?

• Teachers we are collaborating with improve their instructional practices for increased student engagement
• Curriculum is focused on nurturing respect and honoring diverse learning styles. Youth are able to show up to the learning space as their most authentic selves 
• The curriculum uses place-based relevant content and incorporates hands-on experiences to encourage youth to drive their own learning through problem-solving processes. Youth understand and can move through the engineering design process for problem-solving. 
• Indigenous perspectives are woven into the curriculum. Youth respect Indigenous cultures, history, and values.
• The curriculum creates opportunities for youth to see examples of environmental stewardship and practice it. Youth has developed a sense of responsibility to care for the Earth.
• Youth provide curriculum feedback and choice is a part of the responsive curriculum taught. Youth are able to drive their own learning and explain the context of most instructional activities. Youth have agency over what is taught and learned in their class.
• The curriculum includes opportunities for youth to connect their learning to their identities and their communities. Youth engage in conversations that lead to knowing oneself and healing from institutional oppression. 
• Teachers are utilizing various technologies to amplify learning experiences. Youth are utilizing educational technology tools to solve problems. 
• Indigenous Elders are invited to speak and offer feedback on projects. Youth are collaborating with an Indigenous-led intergenerational community.

What is the long term you see as your goal?

We have created a culture of belonging and eradicated systems of oppression within K-12.

The OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning is utilizing both ancient and contemporary technologies to engage youth and teachers in a Land-based STEM-focused educational experience. With guidance from Indigenous Knowledge Carriers and Elders, we are creating a framework that will guide the creation of a curriculum constructed by classroom teachers to integrate Land-based teachings with educational technology, problem-solving processes, and state-mandated standards to produce a learning environment that sustains human and animal life on Earth. 

In the OJI:SDA’ approach, youth will have the opportunity to utilize 360 Virtual Reality technology, AI technology, and educational technology platforms that support the SAMR Model which is a framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration:

• Substitution: technology is substituted for a more traditional teaching tool or method
• Augmentation: technology is again directly substituted for a traditional tool or method, but with enhancements to the student experience
• Modification: this is an actual change to the lesson’s design and its learning outcome as a result of the technology utilized
• Redefinition: We are redefining a traditional learning task in a way that would not be possible without the tech, creating a novel experience

And most importantly, youth will learn Haudenosaunee knowledge systems that will ensure the futurity of all of our communities and the Earth. This includes traditional, ancestral, and natural technologies, and knowledge systems such as seasonal/cyclical perspectives, water caretaking and conservation, irrigation, building, climate preparedness, and plant-based medicinal knowledge. We are choosing to focus on Haudenosaunee knowledge systems because that is the Land, the Indigenous Nation, and the community that the schools we are collaborating with are on. 

OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures vision is to cultivate a world where Indigenous people are seen, heard, healthy, and thriving by partnering with teachers, administrators, youth, and families of all racial and ethnic backgrounds to align the values represented in the way we are educating youth with our actions.  We know that we can help to cultivate inclusive learning spaces by being a model for uplifting diversity by working towards educational equity and meaningful inclusion as an organization. OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures was founded because of the impact of exclusionary learning spaces on Indigenous peoples in K-12, in national conversations about environmental stewardship and sustainability, and in the STEM fields. 

Led by Indigenous women, OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures acknowledges the systems of oppression that exclude everybody, especially people of the global majority, the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning encompasses four goals that allow each person connecting with our programs to show up as their most authentic selves: 

Indigenous health and well-being: We nurture healthy and thriving Indigenous people, families, and communities by providing opportunities for sharing, teaching, learning, rejuvenation, and healing through programming and projects that emphasize holistic sustainability. 
 
Intercultural understanding: We foster intercultural understanding, inclusivity, and cooperation/collaboration between Indigenous peoples, non-natives, and the natural world for the betterment of all our relations and futures.

Relationship and reciprocity: Through embracing Indigenous lifeways and spirit, OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures cultivates human families that embrace loving relationships and holistic wellbeing, supported by justice and reciprocity for all beings on the planet.

Connecting ancestral wisdom and lifeways with media arts: We connect ancestral wisdom and lifeways with media arts to focus on environmental protection, sustainability, community wellbeing, healing, and cultural vibrancy. 

With community collaboration at the core of the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning, these four goals embody the values that will be incorporated into our foundational documents (the OJI:SDA’ framework informed by Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Carriers, the co-constructed Curriculum informed by the OJI:SDA’ framework, Land-based curriculum practitioner’s Rubric, and the Data Collection Templates), the way we partner with school communities, and  the culture of OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures. 

There are two ways that we will be able to achieve financial sustainability: 

• OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning team will be available for professional developments around the OJI:SDA’ Land-based curriculum. Schools can request information via the website. 
• After the 2023-2024 school year, the Land-based curriculum will be finalized for other school districts in New York state to license and they will have a choice in the level of support from the OJI:SDA’ education team.