Programs - Renascence Project

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Grounded in culture

Guided by community

Cultural Competency Trainings

Our cultural competency trainings are designed to help land managers, volunteers, and organizations integrate Indigenous perspectives into their work while learning about Kumeyaay philosophy and the lasting impacts of historical traumas. Through a combination of in-person and virtual workshops, we provide practical guidance on how conservation activities can impact cultural sites and offer best practices to avoid disturbance and build sustainable relationships within the Kumeyaay community. Our goal is to ensure that environmental projects are culturally informed and rooted in reciprocity and respect.

San Diego Bird Alliance

As part of our Cultural Competency Trainings, we partner with the San Diego Bird Alliance to introduce Kumeyaay perspectives and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into the large-scale ReWild Mission Bay initiative. We educate partners on Kumeyaay history and guide them in creating more inclusive conservation practices.

This collaboration has led to several lasting impacts:

The Bird Alliance now evaluates projects for potential impacts on cultural resources.
Cultural monitors are integrated into invasive species removal projects to educate volunteers on Kumeyaay history.
The partnership created a dedicated Kumeyaay liaison role within the Bird Alliance to strengthen communication with the community.
Kumeyaay presence has been integrated into public programs like "Love Your Wetlands Day," where community members participate in activities such as tule boat building.

The Museum of Us

We delivered a comprehensive, multi-year cultural competency training series to the Museum of Us, designed to educate all levels of their staff on Kumeyaay history, values, and cultural practices.

Key elements of the training included:

A bus tour to significant Kumeyaay sites.
An immersive session on Kumeyaay cosmology and philosophy, combined with storytelling and bird singing.
An exchange at the Sycuan Cultural Center, where museum staff learned from Kumeyaay-led preservation practices.
Classroom training on post-colonial trauma and Kumeyaay history.

This partnership has led to lasting impacts, including a shift in the museum's internal culture toward long-term partnership and inclusivity.

Ethnoecology and Conservation

Our Ethnoecology and Conservation programs are designed to restore the vital connection between people and place. We work to reintroduce traditional management practices, which includes habitat restoration and native planting. By developing strategic access, we create meaningful benefits for both the community and the environment, ensuring our work is rooted in respect and long-term sustainability.

San Diego Canyonlands

As part of our Cultural Ecology and Conservation program, we are partnering with San Diego Canyonlands to create a new model for land management that blends Kumeyaay Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with contemporary conservation practices. We work to reintroduce traditional management practices, which includes habitat restoration and native planting. By doing so, we create meaningful benefits for both the community and the environment, ensuring our work is rooted in respect and long-term sustainability. We are working with them to:

Integrate cultural competency training into their planning to influence how cultural resources are addressed.

Help them apply TEK and ethnoecology practices to their work for a more holistic approach to conservation.

Foster a reciprocal relationship between people and nature by reconnecting the Kumeyaay community with their ancestral lands.

San Diego CoastKeeper

We are partnering with San Diego Coastkeeper, bringing in TEK elements through a traditional perspective to inform water and wetlands restoration efforts. We are collaborating with them to ensure a cultural perspective and access are integrated into the restoration of our waterways and coastal environments. We are working with them to:

Re-establish a connection between the Kumeyaay community and their ancestral coastal areas.

Fund coastal access and education for community members to participate in this work.

Integrate Kumeyaay TEK with Coastkeeper's scientific and legal strategies to address issues like water contamination.

Introduce Kumeyaay community members to water quality monitoring programs, providing stipends and transportation to support their participation.

Education and Community Collaboration

Our Education and Community Collaboration programs are designed to foster authentic Indigenous presence and leadership across regional institutions and lands. We partner with cultural and environmental organizations to integrate Kumeyaay perspectives into public programming and facilitate traditional practices like community harvesting. By guiding our partners in meaningful youth engagement and collaborative stewardship, we ensure that Kumeyaay voices remain at the forefront of community education and environmental restoration.

Balboa Park Cultural Partnership

We partner with Balboa Park museums to ensure an active Indigenous presence and integrate Kumeyaay perspectives. We provide cultural competency trainings and consultations to educate institutions on Kumeyaay history and guide them in building partnerships rooted in reciprocity and trust. Our work helps design meaningful, sustainable programming that embeds Kumeyaay leadership and cultural inclusion into the organizational culture, ensuring Kumeyaay voices remain centered for long-term, generational change.

The museums we work with are:

Youth Programming

Community Harvesting

Renascence Project

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Cultural Competency Trainings

Ethnoecology and Conservation

Education and Community Collaboration

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Renascence Project