Empowering Indigenous Youth and Preserving Ancestral Traditions: Fundraising for the 2024 Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps Canoe Challenge Paddle
Friday Harbor, Aug. 17th, 2023 – The Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps is raising funds through the San Juan Islands Community Foundation for the 2024 Challenge Canoe Journey. The annual Challenge Paddle in the San Juan Islands is a self-sustained (no cars/ferries) canoe journey, empowering inter-tribal indigenous youth, reducing environmental impact, and honoring ancestral traveling traditions. Funding supports coordination and offsets tribal families' travel expenses to their ancestral homelands.
The Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps is committed to fostering the growth and empowerment of indigenous youth through inter-tribal and community-centered programming. This annual event stands as a beacon of connection, tradition, and sustainability. This event challenges participants to travel with all of their supplies on the canoes - reducing their environmental impacts and traveling more closely to how their ancestors paddled.
Donate to Make a Difference
The Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps (CSYSC) is raising money for this project as part of the San Juan Island Community Foundation’s 2023 County Fair Giving Campaign. Through this program, the first $1,000 in donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Community Foundation. CSYSC is also eligible for up to $2,500 in bonus grants awarded throughout the fair. To be eligible for matching funds, donations to the CSYSC must be made during the four days of the 2023 County Fair – Aug. 16–19. Donors can contribute:
In person at the SJICF fair booth
Online at www.sjicf.org/fair
By phone to SJICF at 360-378-1001
By mailing a check payable to SJICF (dated between Aug. 16–19) with “The Madrona Institute” in the memo line to P.O. Box 1352, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
If you’d like to stop by and see us in person, we’ll be greeting our supporters at the SJICF booth on Thursday, 8/17 from 10-11:30pm and will have our own booth in the Green Village for the duration of the fair. Thank you for your support of this important project!
About the Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps
The Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps is dedicated to empowering inter-tribal indigenous youth through programming that combines cultural learning, environmental stewardship, community collaboration, and leadership development. The program serves indigenous youth from Coast Salish Tribes who have ancestral ties with the San Juan Islands and whose families were disconnected from their traditional homelands during the time of the Indian Appropriations Act. This program Is fiscally sponsored by The Madrona Institute and guided by a 100% Indigenous-led advisory coalition.
For more information about this project, contact:
Sam Barr (He/him), Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps Director
Email: Sam@madrona.org
Kelsey Kittleson (She/hers), Community Engagement Coordinator
Email: kelsey@madrona.org
