Coast Salish Youth Coalition

Our Mission

The Coast Salish Youth Coalition (CSYC) was founded in 2017 and serves inter-tribal indigenous youth ages 14+ from Coast Salish Tribes who have ancestral ties with the San Juan Islands. This organization organizes inter-generational cultural events while pairing education with environmental stewardship and providing employment opportunities.

CSYC aims to cultivate the next generation of culturally engaged environmental stewards by offering cultural/environmental projects with hands-on, outdoor stewardship that incorporates Coast Salish Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science. Participants work on inter-tribal collaborative projects from the whitecaps on the Salish Sea to the whitecaps on the Cascade Mountains. They learn by doing contemporary management of traditional foodscapes.

Our Structure

Originally known as the "Coast Salish Youth Stewardship Corps," the program underwent an evolution in 2023, prompting its renaming to the "Coast Salish Youth Coalition." This change reflects the program's broadened mission and formalizes its status as entirely indigenous-led and coordinated, marking the organization’s commitment to authentic representation and engagement. Since 2024, the CSYC has functioned as its own incorporated organization, overseen by a 100% Indigenous inter-tribal board and fiscally sponsored by The Madrona Institute. The CSYC is excited to announce that a CSYC-specific website and logo is in development - stay tuned!

Our Motivation

The ancestors of these Tribal communities have lived in and cared for the San Juan Islands for millennia. They are the first environmental scientists and stewards of this landscape; cultivating native plants, ensuring healthy waterways, and managing forests for sustainable lifeways. Today, there is a great environmental need for the original caretakers to have a stronger presence in the islands to heal the land and water. There is healing for the people too, when we return to the land and traditional foods.

The Coast Salish Youth Coalition empowers native youth and Tribal communities to reconnect with their way of life by providing youth with the opportunity to explore their native heritage and mend their ancestral ecosystems. A program component also engages with Tribal elders and provides cultural learning experiences for the community at large, including local non-tribal communities as witnesses.

Inter-Tribal Engagement

In 2020, the organization formed an inter-tribal board, which guides the organization’s work and is continuing to grow. Current Coast Salish Youth Coalition board members include:

• Marco Hatch (Samish Nation/WWU)

• Patti Gobin (Tulalip Tribes)

• Molly Walker (Samish Nation)

• Lisa Nash Lawrence (Swinomish/Mitchell Bay Band)

• Tracey Boser (Stillaguamish Tribe)

• Brian Porter (Swinomish Indian Tribal Community)

• Buddy Gray (Stz’uminus First Nation)

• Special advisory and support by Debra Lekanoff (Tlingit)

Examples of Past Events and Projects:

• No Ground Crew Challenge Paddle Canoe Journey (2024 will be the 5th annual)

• Inter-Tribal Camas Harvest & Traditional Pit Bake (2024 will be the 6th annual)

• Mountain Huckleberry Meadow Enhancement

• Garry Oak Habitat Enhancement and Fire Management

• Labrador Tea/Peat Bog Ecological Assessments

• Cultural Plant Surveys

• Camas and Indian Celery seed collections and propagation