Indigenous Correspondents Program
Our Mission
The Ilíiaitchik: Indigenous Correspondents Program (ICP) supports 10-12 Indigenous students through a year-long professional development, communication skill-building, and community-building program led by Indigenous mentors in fields ranging from environmental journalism and science, to photography and music production. The progam aims to support greater participation and leadership by Indigenous students in environmental communication spaces and to center Native perspectives, ingenuity, and solutions in media spaces.
The Team
JoRee LaFrance (Apsáalooke/Crow Nation): Co-Founder, University of Arizona Program Manager
Alexander Cotnoir (Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation): GW Program Manager
Ivey Camille Manybeads (Diné): Indigenous Editor/Story Mentor
Denisse Ortega-Lorona: AIR Education Program Manager
Torran Anderson: Community Outreach Manager, Indigenous Resilience Center
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- August 22, 2024: Workshop 1: Healing through Storytelling (led by: Cinnamon Kills First)
- October 2024: Producing a Publication-ready Piece and Pitching Workshop (mentor TBD)
- November 2024: Using Software and Technology to Enhance Storytelling (mentor TBD)
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- 14 Stories (podcasts, essays, short films, and multimedia pieces) published on Planet Forward
- Out of 160 story entries from 60 schools around the world for Planet Forward’s 2024 Storyfest competition, 5 ICP students received finalist designations, including:
- “Making Home: A story of beaver and babies,” by: Mickki Garrity – Best Written Story by a Non- Media Student
- “Maaʔabáari: Braiding STEM,” by: Kimberlee Blevins (Best Multimedia Story by a Non-Media Student)
- “Piñon Season: Coming together to protect a culturally significant species,” by: Nizhoni Tallas (Best Video by a Non-Media Student)
- “NETUKULIMK: Indigenous moose harvesting in Unama’ki,” by: Abby Burgess (Best Video by a Non-Media Student
- “Residential fruit gleaning: A community solution to food waste,” by: Darrien Benally (ICP ’23) = Best Written Story by a Media Student
ICP Support Team and Correspondents meeting with Heidi Todacheene (Navajo Nation; Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of the Interior), Tracy Canard Goodluck (Navajo Nation; Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs), and Anne Marie Bledsoe Downes (Winnebago Tribe; Principal Deputy Solicitor for Indian Affairs) in Washington, DC.
ICP Story Editor/ Mentor Ivey Camille Manybeads (Diné) speaks with ICP Correspondents (from left to right) Mickki Garrity (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), Nizhoni Tallas (Diné), and Abigail Burgess (Mi’kmaq First Nations) during the 2024 Planet Forward Summit at George Washington University.
ICP Correspondent Nizhoni Tallas (Diné) discusses her video project titled “Piñon Season: Coming together to protect a culturally significant species” at the 2024 Planet Forward Summit in DC.
ICP members enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour learning about science and research communication efforts at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Research Center.