Indigenous Leadership Academy
Spring 2023 Indigenous Leadership Academy Application Is Now Open!
The application for the Spring 2023 Indigenous Leadership Academy is now open. This third cohort for the Indigenous Leadership Academy is open to Arizona Tribal residents, as well as Tribal residents nationwide. There is no other leadership program like this in the country. The first two cohorts graduated 46 participants from 10 states representing 22 Tribal nations, 13 of which are located in Arizona. Applications will be open until January 6, 2023, at midnight MST. Spaces are limited, so apply now.
What is the Indigenous Leadership Academy
The ILA is the first program inclusive of indigenous leadership principles within an IDEA landscape. The differentiating factor for this program is that it is not for just Tribal leaders, its for emerging Indigenous leaders in Arizona and nationally. The initial ILA program started in January 2022 with seed funding from Arizona Public Service (APS). By collaborating with APS, and various schools at ASU and professors, we were able to create a brand and curriculum that attracted emerging Indigenous and community leaders from Arizona and nationwide. This signature program is committed to building the next generation of Tribal leaders.
The ILA has completed two cohort sessions as of November 2022. The ILA program is now poised to build on the successful outcomes achieved to-date. The integration of IDEA concepts to the existing programming will enable participants to view each topic through an added lens approach to understanding how anti-racist and anti-oppression can create inclusive environments for equity and access across a wide-range of topics.
ILA Program Sponsors
Thanks to our generous sponsor APS who has given seed money two years in a row to fund this program and the Arizona Tribal residents that attend.
ILA Participant Testimonial
Despite a lack of access, higher prices for broadband and often non-existent infrastructure, leaders in some Tribal communities have developed a vision and built self-sufficient networks and community technology centers to connect and strengthen their communities. Indian Country is finding a myriad of ways to cross the Digital Divide.
Broadband is the basis and future of economic development, health, public safety, housing, energy, and educational models for the future in Indian Country. The Internet is now classified as a utility and the common carriage for all media platforms. This new digital ecology necessitates Native inclusion. Broadband is a critical infrastructure for nation building in Indian country and tribally centric deployment models are most successful in Indian country, not individual residential service models.
ASU has a resource at the Center for Policy Informatics that includes a portal for information on broadband issues, data collection and broadband research:
General Broadband Research Data Repository
U.S. Senate Digital Divide Oversight Hearing (October 2018)
The links below are a collection of articles on the Digital Divide in Indian Country.
GAO: Tribes Digital Divide Larger Than FCC Estimated (October 2018)
NPR: Native Americans on Tribal Lands are the 'Least Connected' to High Speed Internet (December 2018)
ASU Works to Bridge the Digital Divide in Tribal Communities (April 2018)
The Least Connected People in America (February 2018)
Digital Inclusion and the Role of Tribal Libraries (August 2014)
We Native Americans are 'Poster Children" for No Internet Access (August 2014)
Tribal Libraries Lack Broadband Access (August 2014)
Study: Many Tribal Libraries Lack Broadband (August 2014)
Even Wired Tribal Libraries Are laggin Behind on Tech (August 2014)
A Snapshot of Tribal Libraries: 40-89 Percent do Not Have Broadband (August 2014)
Narrowing the Digital Divide in the Navajo Nation (January 2014)
Tribal Utility Bringing Broadband Wireless to Navajo Rez with $32M Federal Grant (January 2014)
Sending Smoke Signals Digital (January 2014)
Washington Post series on the Digital Divide 2013
NCAI Webinar on Increasing Access to Commercial Airwaves for Tribal Nations (December 2012)
Mediashift: Massive Digital Divide for Native Americans is a ‘Travesty.’ (2012)
On Tribal Lands, Digital Divide Brings New Form Of Isolation (2012)
A Seat at the Table: Dissolving the Digital Divide in Indian Country (2011)