Building Strong Sovereign Nations: Anishinabek Leadership for Seven Generations
Michigan State University Extension is excited to announce Building Strong Sovereign Nations: Anishinaabek Leadership for Seven Generations (BSSN) returns in August 2025. The 2025 BSSN series will be offered at no cost to participants and will be held online via Zoom.
Anishinaabek Leadership for Seven Generations
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Building Strong Sovereign Nations is an MSU Extension training series for Tribal Nations appointed and elected officials; Tribal College faculty, administrators and students; Tribal administrators and interested community members throughout Michigan.
Tribal officials and staff have a responsibility to assist their Tribal Nations and communities in managing the impacts of economic change and to be part of the solutions to challenges their nations and communities face. Tribal Nations and communities that proactively plan to succeed in the coming years can improve their quality of life and overall sustainability. The BSSN Program empowers participants to shape the future of their nations and communities by providing them with the tools and education they need to lead.
2025 BSSN Series
The 2025 BSSN series includes 3 programs, all taught by tribal leaders, professionals, and officials from across Indian Country, in addition to MSU faculty and MSU Extension educators.
The 3 programs include the following sessions:
Please note that there is separate registration required for each program session.
August 11: Anishinaabek Leadership, Part 1
Gaa-nagimigaazojig Anishinaabek
The first program in the series will be held via live Zoom on Monday, August 11, 2025, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. ET. Anishinaabek Leadership Part 1 will cover the following topics:
- The Historic Foundations of Leadership
- Modern Systems of Governing & Sovereignty
- Ethical Decision-Making
- Understanding Tribal Finance/Fiscal Management
- Conducting Effective Meetings
August 12: Introduction to Facilitation
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The second program in the series will be held via live Zoom on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, from 9-11:30 a.m. ET. This 2.5-hour class provides an overview of Participatory Values, Fundamentals of Facilitation, Challenges, and Heat Skills. It is for both new and experienced tribal leaders, managers, facilitators, undergraduate and graduate students who would like to start their facilitation journey or need a refresher.
What is the role of a facilitator?
The facilitator is a non-biased process leader who empowers a group to develop their own strategies over time. A goal of the facilitator is to assist each group member build the facilitation and leadership skills necessary to keep their organization and/or community moving forward.
Register for Introduction to Facilitation
November 19: Anishinaabek Leadership, Part 2
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The third program in the series builds on the Anishinaabek Leadership, Part 1 session, and will be held via live Zoom on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 9 a.m. - Noon ET. The Part 2 offering will cover the following topics:
- Incorporating Strategic Planning into Policy Work
- Elements of Successful Land Acquisition and Planning
- Sovereignty through Land Conservation, Resiliency and Preparedness
Learn More
To learn more about Building Strong Sovereign Nations: Anishinabek Leadership for Seven Generations and other MSU Extension offerings, please visit the MSU Extension Tribal governance and education webpage at canr.msu.edu/tribal_education or the Facebook page at Facebook.com/MSUETribalGov. For more information, please contact the BSSN Team at TribeExt@msu.edu.
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