Proud To Be Indigenous

Photo courtesy of Red Alliances Media (http://redalliances.com/2013/05/06/proud-to-be-indigenous-with-first-peoples-worldwide/)

The month of May was a fun and exciting time for indigenous peoples from all over the world as they were invited by the First Peoples Worldwide organization to take to social media and express what they love about being indigenous during Proud To Be Indigenous Week.  

First Peoples Worldwide was founded in 1997 as a program that offers funding for local development projects in indiegnous communities worldwide.  The work of this organization is particularly incredible because it is an indigenous-led organization that gives a voice to indigenous communities in solving today's challenges around climate change, food insecurity, among others.  The organization is made up of head staff, a global network of board members, grantees, and practitioners that all represent diversity and solidarity in indigenous lifestyles.  

The organization used the month of May as a way to include indigenous peoples from around the world in expressing that theye were proud to be indigenous.  First Peoples received over 300 photos from 69 different indigenous communities across 33 countries with a campaign on Twitter that used the trending tags #Proud2BIndigenous and #P2BI.  The photos are available on the organization's Facebook page. 

In addition to the online campaign, First Peoples hosted several events in New York City, including a workshop led by the founder, Rebecca Adamson, on how corporations need to engage and work with indigenous communities because their voices need to be heard when the issues at hand concern these people.  

Though the Proud To Be Indigenous week is over, submissions are welcome throughout the year!

For more information, visit First Peoples Worldwide.  

Story thanks to Neva Morrison, First Peoples Worldwide managing director.