IWN is proud to once again announce its Emerging Activist Leadership Program (EALP). The signature program of IWN, EALP was created to address the widening gap between young, highly motivated women, and those women who served as catalysts in the Indigenous rights struggle in the early 1970s. In order to ensure our continuing progress in protecting indigenous peoples rights, it is critical that we ensure the invaluable knowledge and leadership skills of seasoned indigenous women activist’s are passed to the next generation of leadership.The goal of the program is to assist Indigenous women in acquiring an in depth knowledge of the issues affecting Indigenous people today, and to provide them with practical skills for building sustainable communities including developing and delivering community based programs, proposal writing and fundraising, effective communication strategies, and nonn- profit organization establishment and administration.

First initiated in 1998, EALP is a powerful tool used to honor the legacy of leadership from those who have gone before, to continue and strengthen the work we do today, and to provide a sound foundation for the leadership to come. Participants are chosen from among a pool of applicants who demonstrate a commitment to long term systemic change within their respective communities, and indigenous Nations. The women are partnered with a seasoned activist and her respective organization, and are mentored through a hands-on education process in community organizing, advocacy, and programming through the host organization. In addition to learning important practical skills, the EALP interns gain a unique historical perspective of the indigenous rights’ movement, an enhanced sense of identity and connection to their own community and cultural values, and are inspired to develop and articulate innovative perspectives on sustainable communities and the strategies to protect them.

EALP: The First Generation
The impact of this program is best illustrated by the work of the first EALP graduates. The first generation of EALP is: Anne White Hat, Rebecca Lowry, Susanna Geliga, Chrystal Echohawk, and Kimberly Mettler. Their experience in the EALP not only influenced their future work, but it also influenced and contributed to the future of IWN. We are proud of our first EALP graduates, and continue to support their work.

Highlighting: Kimberly Mettler
After graduating from the first EALP, with the support of IWN, Kim left the program to attend law school at the University of Arizona College of Law. There she specialized in Federal Indian Law and International Human Rights, and worked with scholars who are at the forefront of protecting indigenous peoples rights under human rights law. Kim joined the IWN Board of Directors in 2002, and traveled as a delegate to the UN World Sustainable Development Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Currently, Kim is legal counsel to a Southern California Indian tribe, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Native American Community Board and Honor the Earth, and is a founding Board member for the Trail of Hope and the Bobby Barrett Foundation.

“Really all of my memories of the program are my favorite, even though it was probably the most difficult internship I have ever done. But, having the opportunity to work side by side with people like Charon Asetoyer, Tom Goldtooth, and Ingrid Washinawatok was well worth it. I think EALP helped me to really understand the issues, the historical wounds that indigenous people share in common, but also the strength and tenacity that we have—rooted in our culture and traditions—that has allowed us to endure. My EALP experience continues to inform my work as an attorney in more ways than I can describe. The western legal system is inherently exclusive of people of color, and of indigenous peoples. It’s easy to get caught up in the system and to forget that there are real people fighting battles that they simply cannot afford to lose… the program and my continued involvement with IWN keeps that in perspective, keeps me grounded in my values, and most importantly… keeps me honest!”

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