The handwritten caption read “MLK Read for Peace 2020”, describing a photo featuring then governor of Montana Steve Bullock, shaking hands and meeting with an AmeriCorps MTCC service member who was running him through the plan for that event.  It was displayed on my 2nd floor cubicle wall at the Department of Labor and Industry in Helena, where I was doing some quick printing and emailing, and I found myself staring at the picture, finding it almost alien, as if it were a very creative Photoshop job. That service member was me, and even though that event was only a year ago, it seems like such a blur, with so much having happened since then. The past year has been rampant with emergency procedures, hasty updates, political turnover and turmoil, restrictions upon restrictions, and it can be difficult to see through the haze into the past and remember the goals and guiding principles that brought us to where we are today, halfway through our term as VISTA service members. 

In some ways, you might even consider it a good sign that the memories of previous service might seem fuzzy; that world is effectively gone and being able to rapidly adapt and shift focus is a deciding factor in managing yourself and your goals in times like these. The only downside to that adaptation is that if you’ve had any plans in the works, for, oh, let’s say weeks or months, you need to be comfortable with scrapping them almost completely and starting over again. This might not be the easiest thing to do, and in my case was difficult near to the point of absolute madness, but I always keep my inner Bear Grylls alive, and repeat that mantra: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. He has other tricks to help folks get through difficult scenarios, but I’m hoping things won’t get to that point. 

I’ll always be the first to admit when luck has played into my successes, which is effectively every single time. Because I had already served at the same host site previously, and many of the contacts and general goals and projects hadn’t changed much, the only real recalibrating that had to be done was largely due to Covid-19 restrictions and new operating guidelines. Gone were the days of in-person meetings and big conferences to do your networking and hobnobbing, and the era of Zoom and Microsoft Teams had begun its reign. So much of my previous term had revolved around meeting with live people in a variety of settings – it wasn’t easy to reformulate strategies on how to both reach out to new communities, and how to continue with existing partnerships. Luckily, good leadership stepped in to save the day there, and my supervisor and the bureau chief for the DLI were able to keep the structural and functional ball rolling so I could focus on the creative and long-term aspects of the mission.

And this is where things get interesting. Due to the unorthodox nature of the world we’re living through currently, the realization came that I needed to get unorthodox in my approaches to the mission. The core of the mission: To increase capacity and capability of rural and Native American communities in ways that will lead to future career and personal success, and create better opportunities for future young people there. How to adapt this mission to a world where in-person mentoring is a non-starter? Where to begin approaching institutions who are scrambling to simply keep themselves functioning? Who might be a person who happens to be searching for the unorthodox services I’m looking to provide? In steps a man by the name of Don Wetzel Jr, a legend within the world of Blackfeet education and sports, and within the Office of Indian Education. 

Mr. Wetzel oversees a Native American inter-tribal youth organization called RISE, which is entirely youth-led and orchestrated. There are some adults who oversee the stability of the group as new young people come and go, but the structure and procedures of the group are entirely organized and run by the youth. They demonstrate an incredible amount of cooperation and cohesion and creative skillsets, as well as the work ethic necessary to turn it all into a brilliant future for themselves and the young people who come after. They focus on things like economic hardship and lack of opportunities, the issues surrounding MMIW and self-defense, retaining tribal languages, and creating media and publications that highlight various issues, events, and projects. They’re actually a widely focused group with a lot of different agendas.

When I first got to sit in and listen to them, I was immediately floored. I hadn’t seen young people organize in such a productive fashion. My mind began to race – what if they had a website people could visit and contact? What if they had a livestream channel people could watch? LLC or non-profit status? Business cards for outreach! Bank accounts for funding! Alums and trusts for scholarships for future students! The options seemed endless, and it clicked that this was the unorthodox mission I had been looking for. After some conversing with Don, we feel like taking RISE from “group” to “institution” is the way to go, and we’re super excited to see the changes this will permanently bring to those people and communities.

So if there’s anyone out there maybe feeling that sense of unease you get when you’ve wandered a little far off the trail – don’t worry! We’re halfway up the mountain, and if we can keep climbing through the timber and get above the cloud line, we’ll be in for the view (vista?) of a lifetime!