Advancing Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Cultures Worldwide, since 1972
Check out our new programmatic priorities!
Dear Friend,
Today, we are excited to share the final piece of our new vision with you -- our programmatic priorities that build off historical, existing, and emerging work at Cultural Survival. Our current programs will continue as well as evolve to incorporate our new strategic framework, building on our ongoing work through the application of the holistic, four-pronged strategy of Grantmaking, Capacity Building, Advocacy, and Communications. Our programmatic priorities include:
Cross-cutting Theme: Indigenous Women and Youth “Indigenous women need more support to reach their potential. They want to reestablish their harmony with men [equality]. We need harmony within our species in order to restore harmony with the earth, animals, plants and water.” - Avexnim Cojti (Maya K’iche’), Director of Programs
Indigenous women carry millennia-old Traditional Knowledge about the land and the biodiversity that is embedded in their cultures and languages. For many years, Cultural Survival has prioritized projects centering women and engaging women’s and girls’ leadership and we will continue working to uplift Indigenous women according to Indigenous values and protocols self-determined by Indigenous communities. We strive to support Indigenous women to be the decision-makers and protagonists of their own stories and take the leadership and participation roles that they choose and deserve. Young people hold the power to shift the dynamics of the world. If we want change, we must provide support to Indigenous youth leaders in making change possible.
Climate Change Solutions
Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change and are among the first to face the direct consequences. Although Indigenous Peoples around the globe represent just 6.2 percent of the population, they manage or hold tenure over 25 percent of the world’s land surface, support about 80 percent of the global biodiversity, and manage at least 24 percent of the total carbon stored above ground in the world’s tropical forests. Areas titled to Indigenous communities have been shown to store 36 percent more carbon per hectare than public conservation land. When Indigenous Peoples have rights to their lands, they are able to steward these lands in ways that prevent fossil fuel extraction, maintain carbon-capturing forests, ensure soil regeneration and carbon capture through traditional agriculture and agroecology, and protect biodiversity. The gap between recognized and unrecognized land rights points to significant opportunities to scale-up the protection of Indigenous lands. The science is clear—Indigenous communities are critical in reversing the climate crisis. Indigenous People are agents of climate solutions and environmental conservation. Supporting Indigenous communities at the local level supports and enriches the ecosystem in that region, and the health of that regional ecosystem impacts surrounding ecosystems.
Land and Livelihoods
Land and Livelihoods came up as one of the top issues for Indigenous Peoples both as a result of our internal and external reviews. Indigenous Peoples and their lands are inseparable: our cultures, languages, cosmovisions and ways of life are connected to the lands we are from. Indigenous Peoples and their landscapes co-evolve together, and it is this interdependent relationship that creates such richness of biodiversity and culture. Highly biodiverse areas such as the U.S. Pacific Northwest, for example, have been found to be a direct result of Indigenous stewardship. The health of Indigenous lands, including forests, and rivers, is also integral to Indigenous livelihoods.
Cultures and Languages
Cultural Survival’s work to promote cultures and languages has been a historical priority since its founding and is directly connected to our work on community media, radio, Cultural Survival Quarterly magazine, our Bazaar, and communications work more broadly. Supporting cultural and language diversity and revitalization also directly supports biological diversity and conservation. Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge is key to continuing protecting the land we’ve inhabited for millennia. Indigenous languages are essential to maintain and transmit our Traditional Knowledge to future generations.
Indigenous Community Media
Indigenous Community Media has been the stronghold and the identity of Cultural Survival’s work for almost two decades with more than 130 Indigenous radio partners across Latin America, in Southern and Eastern Africa, and in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Our Indigenous Rights Radio program is also part of our Indigenous Community Media work with a network including 1200+ radio stations and an estimated reach of between 11 to 50 million listeners. Cultural Survival supports Indigenous Community Media through various means: by advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ freedom of expression and their right to access their own forms of media; by resourcing communities’ media and communications work through small grants; by providing training in media and content production, technical support to radio stations, use of technology, gender balance, and more; by highlighting the work of Indigenous media through CS communications on our website, social media, and CSQ; and providing news, culture, and human rights related radio content to our radio network via our Indigenous Rights Radio platform.
Our team at Cultural Survival is excited to carry out our strong vision and programmatic priorities. I invite you to join us in shifting the narrative and resources to support Indigenous solutions and leadership to build a better world for us all. As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2022, we have an ambitious goal to raise $500,000 by June 1, 2022, for our #CS50 campaign. Do not miss our matching challenge! Thanks to a generous long-time donor, all gifts up to $10,000 made now until December 17, 2021, will be matched dollar for dollar! Don't miss this chance to double your impact!
In solidarity and gratitude,
Galina Angarova (Buryat) Executive Director
Thanks to a generous long-time donor, all gifts up to $10,000 made now until December 17, 2021, will be matched dollar for dollar! Don't miss this chance to double your impact!
2067 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 441-5400
www.cs.org
Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. We envision a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.
In solidarity and gratitude, 
