Fifteen students will participate in the Native Community Leadership Development Program this spring -- a program created last term to facilitate the exploration of Native-specific leadership skills.
An independently-formed program, the NCLDP was created in recognition of the accomplishments of Native American students over the past few decades, according to Dartmouth Medical School Minority Affairs Coordinator Steve Abbott.
"We also wanted to address leadership issues in a culturally specific way, which is important whether Native students want to go into tribal politics, law, business or medicine," Abbott said.
The idea for the program was germinating in group facilitator Joseph Gone's mind even before he came to Dartmouth this year as the Charles A. Eastman Dissertation Fellow in Native American Studies.
"Before I arrived on campus, I knew that I wanted to find a way to contribute to Native students at Dartmouth," he said.
Gone also said he knew that Native graduates of Dartmouth have consistently gone on to assume positions of influence both in Indian Country and nationwide.
After meeting with Abbott and three other influential Natives on campus, Jamie Davis-Hueston, Ed Simermeyer and Ruth Turner, Gone decided that a leadership development program would be the best way to fulfill his desire to give back to the community.
So last term Gone created the NCLDP in order to encourage Native American students to explore the cultural foundations of leadership.
"In tribal communities, people rise to leadership positions in different ways," Gone said.
For example, within Gone's tribe, the Gros Ventre, a person would have to prove he is very generous and brave before gaining respect as a leader.
"This contrasts with corporate America where accumulating wealth and status is more preferred," Gone said.
Using feedback from last term's pilot program, the group was refurbished for the spring to focus more on practical projects, putting the leadership skills the participants learned into practice.
This term, all 15 participants will meet with the five facilitators as a large group six times per term and as smaller groups of about five students weekly.
Although the group is currently not receiving any official administrative support, Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia provided funding for its activities.
The large meetings are dedicated to lectures from outside Native guests, small group project updates and case studies.
During these case studies, the students stage mock debates and participate in role-playing activities, exploring real-world Indian Country topics such as the construction of casinos on reservations and tribal council decisions on education.
The outside speakers have described their roles in the national Native community and provided examples of leadership.
Omar Rashid '00 said he particularly enjoyed last term's visit by the members of a consulting firm who do work with Native American tribes on issues of tribal membership.
"They discussed citizenship and identity," he said. "It was interesting to hear how tribes and the government determine who is a member of a specific tribe."
Although the large group meetings are necessary to provide cohesion to the group, Abbot described the small group meetings as the real "backbone of the program."
In the small groups, the students work on projects of their choosing, with one requirement -- their work must benefit the Dartmouth Native American community.
This term, one group is working to create a conference for better communication among Native students at northeastern schools, while another is examining the relationship between Native Americans at Dartmouth and the administration.
Last Wednesday one of the small groups invited College President James Wright to an Indian taco dinner at the NAD house to discuss what Native community means to them.
"The most rewarding thing has been working with students so interesting, impressive and motivated," Gone said.
Arvina Martin '02 said she joined NCLDP because she would like to return home and participate in her Madison, Wisconsin community after graduation.
She said she thinks the role-playing scenarios are useful, especially when the participants are assigned positions they wouldn't normally take.
"You learn diplomacy skills and how to handle people who don't have the same opinions as you do," she said.
Rashid learned about the program last fall when he saw Gone speak at the NAD house about student activism and leadership.
"I was really impressed with what he had to say about what it means to be a leader," he said.
Even though he is not Native American and has never taken a class in the NAS department, Rashid joined the program hoping to gain service and leadership experience to carry with him throughout his premed endeavors.
"We always talk and hear about the importance of educational experiences which take place outside the classroom," he said. "This is a great way to take part in just that."
