A major priority of the Menominee Tribe Strategic Plan is to bring the community together, and foster environments where tribal members can thrive and learn.
This is why, in 2024, the first Revitalize Neopit event was held to show community members that their voices were heard and to celebrate positive changes happening in Neopit. The celebration continued this year, and received media coverage from some fresh, new faces—6th and 7th graders from the Menominee Tribal School.
“We wanted students to have the opportunity to learn about communications, and see how their perspective matters to the community,” said Sharon Waukau, Economic Recovery Coordinator and member of the Neopit Revitalization Workgroup, who along with Joe Stephenson from the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, taught students about planning and economic development.
During this discussion, students gained background information on a needs assessment that was performed for the community last year, to gain an understanding of how this assessment was utilized in planning for the future and for events like Revitalize Neopit.
“Seeing how assessments that are performed early on are used to inform decisions made in the future helped students understand how important planning is, and how it impacts the events that they attend for themselves,” explains Waukau.
Members of the Menominee Tribal Communications Department also gave students insights into the media’s role in helping support the community. Students learned skills like interviewing tactics, video and audio equipment usage, as well as written communication skills, like formulating a story, highlighting key points, and drawing audience interest.
Students were able to apply their new-found knowledge of communications at Revitalize Neopit, where they conducted and recorded several interviews with attendees, using questions that they drafted themselves. These interviews were edited together and premiered at a live event where students were able to view the culmination of their hard work. This project provided a real-life experience that is flourishing into community partnerships where students will have the opportunity to meet with local technical colleges, media outlets and production facilities to hear from experts in the field and continue growing their interest and getting a glimpse into future education or career opportunities.
“We hope that this opportunity provided students with a new confidence in themselves,” said Waukau, “and that they understand how their perspective matters to the community.”
