Welcome to the 2024 OJI:SDA' volunteer season! We are happy to announce that we have an official 2024 volunteer calendar available, with plans to meet at the Soil Factory and at the OJI:SDA' Forest in the coming months (AKA the Hill, for past volunteers)! We hope that this will allow for greater accessibility and a wider range of activities for everyone to enjoy :-).

We are kicking off the new season of Volunteer Community Days with a fresh location at the Soil Factory, where new baby plants and seeds will find their home in the earth. Join our incredible volunteers and register now to be part of this exciting community effort.

Saturday, June 1st 2024 | Ithaca, NY | 4:30 till 7:30pm (EST)

Our new Volunteer Community Program location for 2024 is next to the Soil Factory which can be reached by public bus, bicycle or car.

The address is 142 Ithaca Beer Drive Ithaca, NY14850.

Join the OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning at out Virtual Spring Summit, themed “Learning from the Land”. Find out more by clicking here >>

Hiring! Join our Plant Care program: Project Manager; Volunteer Coordinator; & Community Outreach Coordinator.

The Land to Teapot program’s purpose is to re-establish and strengthen connections with our Indigenous community, the local community, the Land, and ancestral relationships using plant medicines, ancestral and traditional environmental knowledge. The funding from the Park Foundation helps to fund our Youth Sprouting Program and Community Weaving Program to strengthen our connection to and sustainability in the Tompkins community.

OJI:SDA’ holds the first Virtual Spring Summit that brings together educators and honored guests to learn how Land-based teaching from Indigenous Scholar Elders, Knowledge Carriers and education experts can transform the classroom space. Speakers included Tahila Mintz, Jason Corwin, Maribel Gonzalez, Beverly Singer, Geraldine Standup, Yvonne Wakim Dennis and the The Washington Ethnic Studies Now (WAESN) Youth Advisory Board (YAB).

OJI:SDA’ holds premier outdoor concert event on June 4th at South Hill Cider to raise funds to support work focused on Earth guardianship, Indigenous perspectives in classrooms, and the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people. The event features a lineup of performers, Richie Stern, Lydia Garrison, Bear Fox, La Llorona and more. Food plates for donation provided by Earth Sol Catering.

The OJI:SDA’ Center for Intergenerational Learning held its inaugural Teacher Gathering on August 24 through August 26, 2022. Teachers sat in conversation with Onondaga Elders and Purépecha, Chichimeca, and Kickapoo Knowledge Carriers. Then, teachers took what they learned to design project cycles that explicitly teach Indigenous knowledge systems using an approach that is inquiry and student-driven.

May 8th, Mother’s Day Benefit Concert for Mochik Ania ~ Camp Turtle Indigenous youth camp for Land based learning and media training.

We began by writing all the things that the class knew about water and by the end of the day you could hear the kids remarking “Water is alive”.

OJI:SDA’ mobilized their community and supporters in response to the COVID pandemic's impact on Indigenous communities.

Learn from the OJI:SDA’ education team about what Land-based teaching is and why it is important to embed Indigenous teachings into the curriculum.

Storytelling through art and media is crucial for the visibility of Native Americans.

Tahila’s presentation was able to focus the audience and dialogue around the importance of having a spiritual connection to water and Human and Water Rights.

Learn about traditional medicinal plants. Then share Indigenous teas and teachings whilst sharing them with your community. Become a Plant Care Fellow.