Northwest Indian Community Development Center Case Study
Through a partnership with Pollen Midwest, we created a case study to learn how Northwest Indian Community Development Center is building an ecosystem of support and healing from a shared Indigenous framework, alongside social enterprises that provide innovative solutions and diverse sources of revenue.
Excerpt from the Case Study
In response to a drop in funding in 2011, Northwest Indian Community Development Center (NWICDC) shifted to a cultural model of operation, with respectful community engagement, listening and learning at the center. NWICDC draws on spiritual leaders, community members and staff to shape a model rooted in protecting the values by which the Ojibwe and the Dakota lived before the age of Western oppression.
Embracing the teachings
A meeting with community elders led to an organizational shift to an Anishinaabe cultural value system — one based on listening and deep collaboration between programs, agencies and external program partners.
Living the practice
NWICDC’s Aazhoomon Collaborative — Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming, the Miikanan Gallery, the Anokiiwin program and the Ombishkwe program — all serve different segments of the community but share a common vision.
A shared direction
NWICDC builds partnerships with non-Anishinaabe agencies, promoting growth and health across all communities. This coordinated approach has improved the fortunes of many Native nonprofits in the region.
