SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Colleges has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Avista Foundation to develop Indigenous Healing Environments Across Lifeways (IHEAL) Centers. These centers will be located at Spokane Falls Community College and the Inchelium campus of Spokane Community College.
The centers will aim to connect learners with Indigenous knowledge and stewardship practices from the region’s Tribes. This initiative will focus on developing skills in cultivating and caring for plants, herbs, and foods sustainably.
Dr. Naomi Bender, Director of Tribal Relations at Spokane Colleges, emphasized the importance of this project. “Indigenous peoples have always stewarded these lands,” Bender said. “Our responsibility is to honor that legacy by creating educational spaces that connect students and community members with the sustainable environmental practices they can learn from and share with the next generation.”…