I have witnessed the subtle decline of our rich Salish cultural heritage over centuries of colonialization. This is not just a personal concern but a community and generational one. Our elders often speak of a time when Salish was commonly spoken and understood in our community, fostering strong identity, belonging, and a deep connection with the land we call home. Today, we face the urgent challenge of revitalizing our culture and language before they fade completely into history.

The Outdoor Salish Immersion School in Spokane is more than just a school—it's a lifeline to our culture’s past, present, and future. We have successfully piloted our land-based language and culture immersion program for one full year. In that time, our students have grown in confidence, cultural pride, and linguistic fluency, learning in the landscapes their ancestors walked. They love this school. We are not just a classroom—we are a family.

Our parents are asking for this program to continue. They’ve seen the transformation in their children and want to keep them in a setting where their identities are celebrated, and their spirits nourished.

However, we were faced with a difficult decision. With limited resources through Spokane Public Schools (SPS), continuing the school “as-is” was not sustainable. The year revealed important lessons: the deep cultural and emotional needs of our students, the unique support required for immersive education, and the strain placed on our small team to meet both administrative and teaching demands.

SPS has been, and continues to be, a wonderful partner in this work. They are supportive and will be helping us in the development of a public charter school, which will allow us to build the culturally aligned, community-driven structure our students need. But SPS is also bound by state policies and limited funding—they simply cannot provide all the resources necessary to both run and transform this program.

That’s why we are seeking funding to operate the Outdoor Salish Immersion School for up to two more years, while we develop and apply for our public charter. With this support, we can hire Salish-speaking educators, strengthen our outdoor classrooms, create culturally relevant materials, and sustain the heart of this program—our children and their connection to language, land, and identity.

This is more than an educational initiative, it is a movement to restore what was nearly lost, and to build a future rooted in who we are.

Please sign this petition to urge local, state, and federal partners to fund this vital work. Together, we can protect the Salish language and ensure that it is not only remembered—but spoken, lived, and loved for generations to come.