Fostering Belonging in Youth Centered Spaces

with Heidi Wallace & Rajiem Seabrook, EmpowerMT

Friday, April 19th at 10:30 am & 2:15 pm

This experiential workshop will empower individual leadership to create inclusive and safe youth-centered spaces that foster belonging and authentic allyship across group lines. Participants will explore their cultural lenses and increase awareness of navigating cultural differences with empathy and curiosity, address the impact of oppression on youth, and learn effective strategies for interrupting oppression and cultivating environments where young people can thrive.

Heidi’s life experiences as a sixth-generation non-Indigenous Montanan led her to pursue a life of creating positive change in individuals and institutions. A skilled facilitator, consultant, and educator, Heidi has a 20-year history of building strategic partnerships regionally and nationally to foster innovation, elevate leadership, and inspire action for racial equity, diversity, access, inclusion, and coalition building. Ms. Wallace is the Executive Director of EmpowerMT, a multi-issue organization committed to creating a just and inclusive society by empowering individual and institutional leadership to correct systemic inequities, transform institutions, and strengthen communities. Heidi is an alumni of the University of Montana, where she was honored in 2010 with the Native American Studies Distinguished Alumni Award. As a Professional Fellow with the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Heidi has worked with organizations and communities in Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. Ms. Wallace serves on the Board of Trustees for the PacificSource Foundation for Health Improvement and participates in social justice coalitions, advisory boards, & committees.

Rajiem Seabrook is the Director of Equity and Impact at EmpowerMT, a statewide nonprofit with a mission to create a just and inclusive society. Mr. Seabrook is an educational and institutional leader in shaping and promoting equity and diversity-based policies, partnerships, and strategic initiatives that foster inclusive businesses, schools, and communities across Montana. Rajiem is a long-standing member of the community and is passionately engaged in athletics, academics, social justice, and political reform. Rajiem is one of several co-founders of the Montana Black Collective-Missoula and serves on the MCPS IVALUE Leadership Team and the MLK Jr. Community Celebration Committee. Mr. Seabrook’s devotion as a father, coach, mentor, community leader, connector and organizer fuels his commitment to creating a better world for future generations.