26 Years on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana
This summer will be Global Volunteers’ 26th year volunteering on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. During these years, more than 3,500 volunteers have served the Blackfeet Nation, contributing a total of 141,600 service hours. Last summer, 183 volunteers on 12 teams volunteered from 28 states and South Korea. They came from Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and Seoul, South Korea. There were 64 men and 119 women ranging in age from nine to 86 and from all walks of life. These teams of volunteers each spent an enriching and meaningful week serving alongside many community members.
A typical week gives volunteers opportunities to work at food pantries, with children at summer school, completing labor projects to improve community buildings, and serving local seniors at the senior center. Volunteers tell us that what they remember most about their time in Blackfeet Country are the people who reside there. They speak about how important it was for them to be able to interact one-on-one with local people, hearing their experiences, and discovering common ground.
But life can be complicated on the Rez. Jennifer Cooperman, a social worker from Massachusetts, found that though she works with people every day in her career in circumstances like the Blackfeet Community, she found that there were elements of life here that provided additional challenges. “I did not truly appreciate the challenges of getting resources to people when public transportation doesn’t exist, and it can be hours to the nearest resources,” Jennifer commented. Bringing greater awareness to both the complications of life in this area, as well as the beautiful culture and community, are great benefits of volunteers serving with community members. Volunteers take their experiences home to share with their own communities, increasing the visibility of issues relative to indigenous communities.
Global Volunteers teams spend time serving the community, as well as learning from and about the Blackfeet people. By being able to interact directly with community members, volunteers learn about and experience Blackfeet culture and traditions. Jolene Stratton, a dental hygienist and teacher’s aide, has held onto the memories from her time in Montana. What remains with her the most is her “desire to know more and learn more about the Blackfeet people, past, present and what the future holds for their nation.” Jolene noted that “it was truly a blessing to be welcomed to this beautiful land.”
In the evenings, volunteers enjoy the quietude and peacefulness of the reservation. But there is also time to appreciate conversations with local people and volunteers, visit Blackfeet museums, go horseback riding, and possibly participate in a ceremonial sweat.
John Taylor, who serves on Global Volunteers board of directors and has volunteered on 17 service programs, noted after a recent experience in Blackfeet Country that due to a shared set of goals and determination, the volunteers on his team delighted in a “set of new friends” with each other and community members that will last a lifetime. While many volunteers take home locally made unique souvenirs, more importantly, they enjoy wonderful memories and meaningful friendships, leading some to return to the Blackfeet Reservation in subsequent summers.
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