Understanding the Challenge
Unintended Consequences
Across San Diego County, many environmental educators and nonprofits want to collaborate with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Cultural Practicioners, yet most lack the tools, training, or relationships to do so appropriately.
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What begins with good intentions often results in unintentional harm.
Tribal Concerns
Our surveys and listening sessions revealed a pattern:
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64.7% of Tribal and Indigenous respondents said they are not included early in project planning.
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70% cited rushed timelines or being invited only after projects were underway.
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76.5% noted lack of cultural protocol or respect for Indigenous knowledge as a recurring barrier.
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Non-Tribal Perspectives
From the non-Tribal perspective, the challenges mirrored this:
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63.3% expressed uncertainty about protocols.
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60% feared being extractive or “getting it wrong.”
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46.7% admitted to limited or no ongoing relationships with Tribal communities
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What this Reveals
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Non-Tribal partners often don’t know or follow expected cultural etiquette and want clearer guidance.
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Tribal partners experience being consulted too late or used transactionally and are asking for respect, reciprocity, and true co-leadership.
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Both sides recognize a missing foundation of trust and continuity. The harm isn’t only procedural ... it’s relational.
Tribal educators described the fatigue of being invited for “checkbox” land acknowledgments or one-time workshops, without ongoing partnership or fair compensation
Systemic Roots
From the Thrive Community of Practice reflection process, several structural barriers were named:
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Colonized frameworks still define most environmental education efforts.
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Institutional timelines and funding cycles clash with Indigenous decision-making rhythms.
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Lack of Indigenous leadership positions in education and nonprofit spaces limits meaningful representation.
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Tokenism and performative consultation remain widespread creating “mistrust and missed opportunities across the region".
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Community Call to Action
Tribal educators in the Rooted in Respect listening circle emphasized that change requires:
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Hiring Indigenous cultural monitors and protocol advisors.
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Including Indigenous partners at the beginning of project design.
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Budgeting time and resources for relationship-building, not just deliverables.
​​​The problem isn’t a lack of willingness, it’s a lack of infrastructure for respect.
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Rooted in Respect was created to bridge this gap:
to move San Diego’s environmental education community
from good intentions to good relations.
Why relationship-based work is different.
Partnerships with Tribal members and Indigenous educators aren’t about speed, they’re about trust.
Respecting sovereignty, seeking consent throughout, and allowing time for real relationship-building are what make collaboration work.
A note to non-Tribal educators.
Engage early, communicate clearly, and follow community protocols.
Partnership works best when you build trust first, not after the project starts.