CLIENT: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), focused on Truth, Healing and Justice, is at the forefront of the growing awareness around the legacy of residential and boarding schools in the U.S. and Canada. 

KEY ELEMENTS: Advocacy, Earned Media, Coalition Building, Messaging Strategy

CHALLENGE: Indian boarding schools, an integral part of the United States’ efforts to marginalize Native peoples, cultures, and civilizations have left a legacy of trauma and pain across Indian country. However, most Americans had never heard of these schools. NABS’ goals were to increase awareness of the issue and work towards Healing and Justice for boarding school survivors and their descendants.

SOLUTION: We created a multi-year communications plan to help NABS prepare for, catalyze and subsequently navigate the exponential increase in attention and energy that would come to be directed towards this issue. The plan laid out a roadmap of structured activities designed to meet preplanned communications goals, but allowed for flexibility to be responsive to the rapidly shifting dynamics surrounding the issue. Our team also created multiple campaigns designed to help shape narratives surrounding the issue of Indian boarding schools in America. An explosion of awareness about Indian Boarding Schools has since thrust the issue into the country’s consciousness, prompting important government actions including an official investigation by the Department of the Interior and the introduction of a bill by Senator Warren (D-MA) calling for a Truth Commission during the 2021 Senate session.