We are excited to announce our partnership with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) on the innovative and critical IndigeFit Kids campaign. This initiative reflects the shared value across Indigenous communities to preserve well-being in a holistic sense for future generations.
The IndigeFit Kids campaign, launched by the SMSC, is a $6 million, three-year philanthropic effort aimed at improving the physical fitness and mental wellness of Native youth in Minnesota. SMSC Vice-Chairwoman Natasha Hacker and Secretary/Treasurer Ashley Cornforth, who will co-chair the campaign, announced the effort along with several key strategic partners and Community youth at the Minneapolis American Indian Center on Thursday, January 16.
Our Center’s Co-Director and Director of the Great Lakes Hub, Dr. Melissa Walls (Couchiching First Nation and Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe), and Co-Director Dr. Donald Warne (Oglala Lakota) were featured speakers. Dr. Walls shared, “We are thrilled to partner with SMSC on this innovative and critical new campaign. Across Indigenous communities is a shared value to preserve well-being in a holistic sense for future generations. The IndigeFit initiative aligns with these teachings and invests in our children and young people in deeply meaningful ways. Our Center for Indigenous Health is honored to share the tools of Indigenous-led public health research as one aspect of this exciting collaboration.”
Vice-Chairwoman Hacker emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, “Good health of Native youth today is fundamental to the vitality of Native communities for generations to come, but health problems are significantly more common among Native American youth than among their peers in the general population. We believe that through a dedicated campaign, we can change this reality and close health disparities among young Native Americans in Minnesota by giving them more resources to lead active, healthy lives.”
The campaign will fund a variety of projects and programs focused on physical fitness and wellness, commission research, raise public awareness, and support efforts to Indigenize athletic programs. Strategic partners include the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, KABOOM!, and the Minnesota Vikings.
We look forward to working together to invest in the health and well-being of our children and young people.