OPENING CELEBRATION & CULTURAL SHARE

   

Monday	Pre-Session
7:30 – 8:30 pm	Opening Celebration & Cultural Share Please join us for this kickoff celebration that will offer a sense of connection, inspiration, and grounding though storytelling and the sharing of knowledge and wisdom. All are welcome to attend this pre-session activity. This event will begin with a local blessing and land acknowledgement followed by the cultural show and share and a networking opportunity. You are welcome to dress in your traditional attire, jewelry, or bring an item of importance to you in honor of your culture. You will also have the opportunity to share with others about your culture and traditions at your comfort level, whether in-person at the event or through the Padlet below. You will also have the opportunity to connect with others and build community, relationships and more!
	Meet our Emcee: Crystal Austin is of the Zuni Edgewater and Towering House clans of the Diné, the People. She is a nationally recognized trainer in early childhood home visiting curricula and practices in American Indian communities. Crystal’s work for the past 13 years has focused on providing program implementation support and training to tribal communities across the country as they worked to integrate home visiting and early childhood programs into their communities. She has a wealth of expertise in behavioral health programming in tribal communities and maternal and child health among Native American populations. In January of 2022, Crystal joined Johns Hopkins University’s Development and Alumni Relations team as an Associate Director to help lead efforts to support and advance the work of the Center for Indigenous Health. Ms. Austin is based on the homelands of the Onk Akimel O’odham (Pima) and the Xalychidom Piipaash (Maricopa) People in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona.

Please use the space below to share something about your culture and/or traditions. This may relate to the history, food (e.g., dishes, ingredients, recipe, etc.), clothing, jewelry, songs, dances, or something else that is of importance to you and relates to your culture. You are welcome to share via text, images, or even videos. (Note: Your response may be selected to be displayed during the Opening Celebration & Cultural Share.)