Within this context, key recommendations and areas of focus include: Formal coordination through regular meetings of key staff in major national and regional organizations (e.g. NIGA, NCAI, NCAIED, American Indian Chamber of Commerce, NAFOA and many others, including their regional counterparts) to set agendas, monitor progress and share ideas and areas of emphasis Development amongst the organizations of standardized messaging, phrasing and key words applicable to area of common interest as well as to areas of individual emphasis (e.g. the word “sovereignty” which has become an extremely effective rallying cry across numerous issues) Continued and enhanced joint appearances before government agencies and elected officials and invitations to such to appear at joint gatherings Coordinated public relations efforts in the media and at state and local levels in addition to the federal government to highlight the areas of common concern and engrain the standardized phrasing and key words into the public lexicon Regular reports back to their own individual memberships regarding their coordination efforts to boost enthusiasm and support at the tribal leader and tribal member level Leverage associate member knowledge and resources to boost impact Tribe to Tribe While nascent regional cooperation amongst state governors to deal with the pandemic due to a perceived lack of federal leadership and support has been widely publicized, tribe to tribe cooperation and support is a practice of long standing that predates the pandemic. Tribes across Indian country have shown themselves to be remarkably supportive and forthcoming to their fellow Native Americans in sharing best practices, information on new opportunities, sources of funding, employment initiatives, methods of dealing with the government and numerous other examples. Individual tribes with more substantial financial resources have provided capital through lending and grants to less fortunate tribes to support economic development projects. In the same way, tribes with unique operating and development expertise have shared that expertise with other tribes, either on a fee for service or even a pro bono basis. Charitable efforts between tribes in times of crisis are well documented. Inter-tribal cooperation will be of even greater importance during and after the recovery period from the current crisis. This is not just a matter of supporting and lifting each other up. The economic opportunities presented by expected market and business changes referenced above will be far more accessible to individual tribes if they are able to work together to pursue them. This cannot be done solely at the multi-tribal association level.
∴ PRESCRIPTIONS
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