Welcome to Our Native Circle! - The Native Community Development Resource Center
Our Vision
The vision for Our Native Circle was to create an online community where Native and non-Native community economic development practitioners could come together in force to share, inform, learn and connect. Our site members include Native CDFIs, tribes, Native organizations, individuals, foundations, social entrepreneurs, investors, consultants, trainers and a host of others working in and supporting Native community development.
Our History
To assist us in developing the content for Our Native Circle, we asked you, the Native community development field, to fill out a survey and discuss what would help you in your journey towards creating healthy Native economies. We all envisioned a common space where ideas, resources and experiences could be shared - a place where we could come together to learn about this dynamic movement to alleviate poverty in indigenous communities around the country and the world. Your guidance and input provided Oweesta with valuable insight into what you would most like to see on a website of this nature. For this we are grateful, and we thank you for your contribution and time. (If you have not yet filled out the community development survey and would like to, please click here to link to survey) Therefore, based on your responses and our own expertise gained from working out in the field, the features of Our Native Circle have been specifically designed to maximize grassroots community development efforts as well as our collective abilities to provide assistance and products to our customers and the Native communities we serve.
By joining Our Native Circle, you will derive a number of benefits including:
• Diversity and Access to Information- Individuals and institutions will access comprehensive information regarding the Native community development movement, including, but not limited, to Native CDFI development, financial education and asset building programs, downloadable documents, important links to other sources, and up to date information regarding upcoming conferences, trainings and workshops, AND the ability to advertise yours. If you are a funder/investor we encourage you to take our new Investor Survey, so we may continue to improve our community!
• Peer Networking- The website will provide a variety of opportunities to network, communicate and assist each other and Native practitioners, investors, and other partners through the listserve, forum and specific alerts features. Our Native Circle will foster important relationships within the Native CDFI and Asset Building community.
• Increased Profile- Our Native Circle will include profiles, histories, successes and missions of NCDFIs and other organizations in all stages of development, increasing their exposure to investors, funders, foundations, peers and others interested in partnering and investing in the Native CDFI and Asset Building community
• Research Potential- The website will provide continuous cutting edge research information regarding the Native financial climate including policy papers, and current news and events.
Our Native Circle is the place to begin your journey towards true Asset Building and Economic Development. This site is for you, the Native community development practitioner, We hope you find the information useful and we encourage suggestions on how to improve the content- just take the survey(s) or email your thoughts to info@ournativecircle.org. Again, welcome to Our Native Circle.