Visioning Bear Circle Intertribal Coalition

“Description;Amount^Flowers by Legacy;286^Total;286^”

“Description;Amount^office supplies;405|DOR;143|Flowers by Legacy;418|travel;2115^Total;3081^”

“28. Program services and accomplishments. Drum practices were held from January through December as a community outreach and community building strategy. Ten members of VBCIC provided 504 volunteer hours through this activity. Visioning BEAR Singers composed their own songs that highlighted healthy relationships and violence prevention. Performances were held at Senior Centers, churches, historical societies, and pow-wows, reaching thousands of people. VBCIC participated in the Restorative Justice Coalition of Massachusetts monthly. These meetings comprised restorative justice community leaders from across Massachusetts to bring community voices to the newly formed Restorative Justice requirement of the Criminal Reform Act. This was a policy making advocacy group. Strong Oak Lefebvre, the CEO of VBCIC gave a presentation at the Multicultural Efforts to End Sexual Assault Conference at Purdue University. Sixty attendees attended a workshop about Walking in Balance with All Our Relations Circle Practices, and restorative justice approaches to prevention and intervention regarding those who experience sexual harm. The 39-hour, thirteen session, Walking in balance with All Our Relations curriculum was offered to several groups in 2023. Four groups - Sovereign Rhythms, Black Indigenous Nipmucs, the Ko'asek traditional Abenaki tribe of New Hampshire, and the Land Justice Affinity Group participated in the training groups. 522 people completed the training sessions. In addition to these activities, VBCIC provided training, workshops and consultation to numerous organizations locally, regionally, and nationally promoting transformative/restorative circle practices based on Indigenous values prior to colonization. Working with students in middle and high school settings, VBCIC offered curriculum development and consultations services to Enchanted Circle in Holyoke, MA to train students to bring circle practices to staff, faculty, students, and teachers of Dean Technical High School. Twelve students received expensive training in restorative justice circle practices. VBCIC met with staff at Peer Solutions in Arizona about bringing the Walking in Balance with All Our Relations to the youth leaders there. In October 2023, VBCIC partnered with the Revere Human Rights Commission in Massachusetts to provide Circle Practice to the HRC commissioners and the residents of the Revere community; Revere is a city five miles from Boston with an over 50 percent BIPOC population. Rever High School is 72 percent BIPOC. In October, VBCIC held a circle with the HRC and the residents about changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. Throughout 2023, VBCIC met bi-monthly with the Land Justice Affinity Group around deepening connection to the land and Indigenous as first nations. The goal is to establish community partnerships that seek a reciprocal/ equitable relationships with all beings. Nationally, VBCIC has provided training and consultation to adults in reentry to civilian life from jails and in halfway houses such as Project Elevate in Denver, Colorado. VBCIC met with over 200 people incarcerated in the Denver prison system. Through the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, VBCIC met with tribal judges and those incarcerated to bring restorative approaches to dealing with those who have harmed others sexually. In August 2023, VBCIC gave a presentation on Lighting the Eight Fire for Equity and Inclusion. Over 60 people attended the workshop.VBCIC presented numerous webinars including the LEAP project administered by ValorUS of California. As a LEAP cohort 1 member, Strong Oak Lefebvre participated in a webinar called "From Idea to Fruition." where she shared how VBCIC was born as an inspiration for other marginalized, culturally specific communities to dream big and found their own organizations. VBCIC encountered much racism and transphobia in its work with the Ko'asek tribal community in New Hampshire. That inspired VBCIC to VBCIC to organ”