Our Ripple Effect is our theory of change.
Collaborative activities are designed to uphold Indigenous knowledge systems as the bedrock for collective leadership to continue from generation to generation. Collective leadership is needed to restore balance and achieve long-lasting equitable change, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things.
Most modern threats to climate are due to human actions. However, climate solutions rarely focus on changing the systems that perpetuate the values, perceptions and behaviors that contribute to the problem. To create change, we need to work together to find common ground and better align existing systems with an Indigenous worldview and knowledge that is tied to place. By uplifting Indigenous agency to lead systems change at the local level, we raise awareness and inspire people to change in a way that ripples out beyond our local community and contexts to surrounding and distant ones, ultimately leading to global impact.
“Unless we start from values and ceremony, we miss the target; our political struggles cannot be separated from ceremony and values.” - Judith Le Blanc (Caddo), Advisory Council Member, Executive Director, Native Organizers Alliance
Indigenous Peoples know the way forward.
Indigenous Peoples are leading systems change within their own communities, and there is immense value in coming together in a synchronized effort. Until recently, Red Star International, Inc. (Red Star)served as the backbone organization, growing the Collaborative to what it is today. The Collaborative carries Red Star's legacy forward, bringing land and water stewards together from across the Pacific to support Indigenous self-determination. Traditional knowledge systems hold the key to today’s climate and health challenges. Although our local contexts are different, our communities face similar barriers, and we draw strength from each other.
Why Systems Change?
Systems thinking is inherently Indigenous. It highlights the importance of place-based knowledge because it emphasizes relationality and the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world.
The evidence is mounting: Indigenous knowledge systems are key to transformative change. Yet, barriers at the interface with non-indigenous systems hinder these solutions. Rapid changes in climate threaten local, regional, national, and global food security, natural, economic, and social systems, and human health and development. Now is the time to restore balance and deconstruct the systems and practices that reinforce colonialism and perpetuate inequities. The Restoring Balance Collaborative provides a global learning space for Indigenous Nations, organizations and communities to address these barriers and re-establish sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.
Our Project Team works like a backbone–a coordinating body–to support the Collaborative’s goals, and is guided by an international Indigenous Advisory Council.
The Collaborative has two audacious goals:
- Environmental Impact: Strengthen ecosystem resiliency by realigning systems, values, and practices with Indigenous ecological stewardship.
- Healthy and Abundant Communities: Reinforce systems of healing and self-determined wellbeing through Indigenous steward practices.
To create meaningful change, the RBC is structured to work in a way that ripples out. Our ripple effect can best be described as an ecosystem – a set of concentric circles, each supporting the next, and with a different level of engagement and focus:
Uplift Indigenous Agency
Build the will, motivation, and capacity amongst the Collaborative to enact systems change based on Indigenous values. The first ripple is about building trust, belonging, and confidence in the power of Indigenous knowledge. Growing community is like growing corn. It requires time, nurturing (relationship building), cultivation (trust building), and abundant sharing (reciprocity) for all to benefit.
Learn & Share Together
Increase awareness and understanding of what needs to change; inspiring the Collaborative and others to enact change; and building commitment to change. The second ripple represents the multiple knowledges that come together to form a collective understanding of our shared values and purpose. Ethical spaces are created, leadership is nurtured, and systems thinking grows.
Amplify Indigenous Solutions
Realign the values that underpin colonial systems, structures, and policies, and shift power dynamics towards sustainability. The third ripple is where narrative power is built and Indigenous-led solutions are broadcast. Through our shared storytelling, we aim to shape the terrain, changing mindsets about what is possible.
“Indigenous resilience for a sustainable environment–the diversity that sits amongst the collective group and shared experiences–it all has value–it is a recognition of Indigenous values and laws.” - Collaborative Member