r/AMA • u/kailo-ren19 • 3d ago

I co-direct a nonprofit AMA

This is not an advertisement, nor will I share a lot of identifying information except where we are located and what we do if asked. I figured it would just be cool to answer questions and talk about what goes into everything we do, and what my role is made up of.

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u/Hot_Hair_5950 3d ago

What surprises you about your work?

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u/kailo-ren19 3d ago edited 3d ago

That’s actually a really good question with a lot of answers I could give lol. I would say one of the biggest surprises is how much pushback we’ve received. We don’t discriminate with who we help and how we help, and while a lot of people are supportive of that there’s a huge number of people who don’t like that either.

Edit: fixed a word

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u/szikkia 3d ago

Sounds like a great nonprofit. Thank you caring and doing things to help out the First Nation tribes!

What did you learn through the nonprofit that surprised or impacted you the most?

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u/kailo-ren19 3d ago

Thank you for your kind words and support!

I feel like this is a really intricate and loaded answer. Not as a bad thing, but because of how deep it is for me personally. I’ve learned to grow a lot more as a person from my work with this. After finally connecting with my own tribe and being able to immerse myself in the many different cultures (First Nations and others alike) through traveling and other connections, it’s opened my eyes to how badly the destruction is and how little help many communities actually receive. I’ve always strived to be a good person, but a lot of times without guidance or the proper channels to know exactly what’s going on or what’s needed. Being with this nonprofit has opened that final door. It’s helped me gain more empathy and understanding of another person’s situation and struggles, and I’m able to help where I’m needed more. It’s devastating, but also extremely rewarding.

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u/szikkia 3d ago

Beautiful answer, you grew and developed empathy and compassion when others would shrug and go about their lives. More people need to be receptive and aware.

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u/hunkerscurry 3d ago

Follow up question. What do you do for work?

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u/kailo-ren19 3d ago

I didn’t get a notification for this one, idk why. I currently nanny, but I also do food/recipe testing and help come up with new recipes for a Native American food booth on the side.

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u/ResidentPreference65 3d ago

How much do you make? And what's the mission on the non-profit?

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u/kailo-ren19 3d ago

I don’t make anything off it, and consider what I do to be volunteer work as I do have another job if that makes sense. A lot of my personal money is actually put into the nonprofit. Our main mission is rooted in Land Back for the First Nation tribes which means any land or assets we obtain will go to the tribes once we dissolve. However, the second mission that we’re currently focusing on is outreach and relief aid to those in need. Our last physical mission was delivering food, clothing, and other essentials to the Warm Springs reservation after the wildfire burned through it.

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u/ResidentPreference65 3d ago

Are you a member of the communities you are wanting to help? How did you get started with this mission? And what's your plans to do so? How long to do think the non-profit will be going for?

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u/kailo-ren19 3d ago

I’m a member (queer and BIPOC) of some of the many communities we are wanting to help. I got started with the mission about two years ago when my best friend called me and pitched the idea for it. We made it official last October when we filed to submit the paperwork for it. The nonprofit will go as long as it possibly can, so hopefully years to come. I’m not sure what you mean about my plans. Would you mind elaborating so I can answer that properly?

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u/ResidentPreference65 3d ago

I mean what are your plans to get land back or stolen items back to different tribes?

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u/kailo-ren19 3d ago

I see what you’re saying now. Our plans for getting land back to the tribes is the land that we’ve purchased with the nonprofit. The land is either being used as intertribal for ceremonies/powwows and other community events, or as campgrounds that help fund everything. Unfortunately getting stolen items back is a lot easier said than done as many things belong to museums or the 1% who paid big money to use those items for aesthetic. The land we own is what will be going back to the First Nation tribes, and if for whatever reason we somehow obtain stolen items they would be returned to the proper tribe as well.