In 2025, we were honored to be awarded a two-year grant from Multnomah County to launch a Native Tech project—an initiative to bridge digital equity gaps in Indigenous communities through culturally grounded STEM education. We sincerely thank Multnomah County and the City of Portland for recognizing the urgent need to uplift historically disenfranchised voices and believing in our vision. Native Tech is rooted in the understanding that STEM is not a neutral field—it carries the potential to either replicate systems of exclusion or become a tool for healing, empowerment, and cultural resurgence. Our work represents the latter.

Rooted in Tech is a community-rooted digital education project that centers Indigenous communities' lived realities, cultural values, and generational wisdom in Portland and surrounding areas. Grounded in the belief that accurate equity begins with listening, Native Tech is more than a digital literacy program—it is a pathway to reclaiming space in a rapidly evolving technological world, where Indigenous voices have long been excluded or misrepresented.

Our approach begins with humility. We recognize the complex legacies of colonization, displacement, systemic neglect, and intergenerational trauma that continue to impact Native communities today. From inadequate broadband access to culturally irrelevant curriculum, Indigenous learners face distinct barriers that cannot be solved through one-size-fits-all solutions. Native Tech was developed with community members, elders, and Native educators to address these specific gaps. We are not building programs for Native youth—we are building them with Native youth, families, and knowledge keepers at the core.

Through culturally grounded, trauma-informed, and community-led programming, Native Tech offers a safe and affirming space for Native learners to explore digital skills, from basic computer use to storytelling through multimedia, coding, and digital art. Our curriculum integrates Indigenous systems thinking, mathematics, and storytelling traditions into every lesson, ensuring that technology is learned and reshaped through an Indigenous lens.

The program actively supports multigenerational participation, offering youth mentorship, adult upskilling, and family workshops that demystify technology and empower families to help one another. By situating digital skills training within a broader framework of cultural revitalization and community resilience, Native Tech addresses not just digital divides but also the deeper disconnects caused by displacement, poverty, and systemic exclusion.

Equity means removing barriers and building bridges that affirm identity, belonging, and hope. Native Tech is not just preparing Native youth for the future—it's helping them reclaim authorship over it.

Work begins in June 2025