Coalition seeks tribal stories of experience in child welfare system

 

By The Times-Standard | July 29, 2023 

The California Tribal Families Coalition is seeking the stories of tribal children, adults, and families with lived experience in the child welfare system as part of a new documentary being developed in partnership with The James Irvine Foundation and Tre Borden/Co.

For centuries, storytelling has been at the core of tribal traditions, serving as a means for passing down knowledge and preserving cultural heritage. Recognizing the potential of storytelling as an influential tool for driving justice and understanding, the Coalition is inviting Native children, adults, and families to share their personal narratives and testimonies to this transformative project.

For information on how to participate and submit your testimony, please visit the Coalition’s website at https://caltribalfamilies.org/call-for-tribal-stories.

“We highly encourage all members of tribal communities in California to lend their voices to this project by sharing stories,” CTFC co-executive director Michelle Castagne said in a prepared statement. “Your stories need to be heard, and your contributions will be a force in fostering a deeper understanding of the issues tribal communities have been facing for decades.”

Although the Indian Child Welfare Act recently survived a constitutional challenge at the US Supreme Court, the coalition will continue to educate the broader community on the importance and impact of ICWA to ensure its protections remain strong in California, the group said in a news release.

CTFC is undertaking the short documentary project with the primary objective of shedding light on the challenges faced by Native families involved in child welfare. By sharing their stories and experiences, those who have experience in the child welfare system can inspire positive change, empathy and solidarity.

The documentary will be narrated by tribal actors, community leaders, and artists who will weave together the stories and testimonies collected from tribal children, adults, and families.

https://caltribalfamilies.org/call-for-tribal-stories-testimonies/

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How to Participate:

If you or your family have experienced the child welfare system and would like to contribute to this short documentary, we invite you to share your story or testimony with us. To participate, please follow these simple steps:

1. Prepare your story or testimony. To ensure accessibility and accommodate different storytelling preferences, we accept various forms of submissions:
   • Written testimony: Craft a written testimony highlighting your experiences, including any challenges, successes, or specific issues you faced within the child welfare system. length: 3,000 words.
   • Audio/video recording: Record a personal narrative, recounting your experiences, thoughts, and emotions. This can be a self-recorded video or audio clip. Max length: 5 mins.
2. Ensure your submission is respectful, authentic, and represents your own personal experiences.
3. Submit your story or testimony via this form.

The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.