Perspectives of Indigenous Bridges

  Will Tsang, Regional Director of Washington State The ATAYAL Organization is proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of Will Tsang, our former Project Coordinator in Seattle, WA. In 2021, he organized the Mask Gifting Ceremony for the Nisqually Tribe . Not only was it a generous gesture from the Taiwanese government, facilitated by Mr. Tsang and our organization, but the event created a discourse about cooperation for culture exchange and trade. The ATAYAL Organization has promoted Will Tsang to the position of Regional Director of Washington State. His responsibilities include facilitating cultural exchanges with the Native American groups in the State. A 1st generation Taiwanese-Canadian immigrant of Chinese and Atayal heritage, William is an advocate of indigenous self-determination. In 2017, he helped organize the first Taiwanese delegation to the Tribal Canoe Journeys in Washington State. Since then, he has been involved with hosting delegations as a translator and cultural...

 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ATAYAL ORGANIZATION The 2021 Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the ATAYAL Organization, which was usually held in November, was held on Saturday, January 22, 2022  at the English Library in Taipei, and it was also broadcast online via Google Meets. According to the the Quorum defined in our previous By-laws, we had at least two of our Board Members in attendance. During this meeting, we shared 2021 achievements and discussed 2022 goals and shared responsibilities with volunteers. ATTENDANCE Those in attendance of the 2022 Annual Meeting and their titles are as follows: 1) Tony Coolidge, President, Secretary, Treasurer and acting Executive Director 2) Gary Smoke, Vice President and acting Deputy Director 3) Guy Charlton, Board Member 4) Sue Babcock, Board Member 5) Will Tsang, Regional Director There were about 20 additional guests in attendance. DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS 1) Annual Report 2) Bylaws 3) Organizational Chart 4) 2021 Fina...

The Financials of 2021 reflect another year of restricted program activity due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the organization has focused on program develop and relationship development for the Indigenous Bridges Youth Ambassador Program. The expenses reflect this restricted level of activity, but the donations surpassed the 2021 goals. INCOME ($21,967.00) Donations (19) - $11,967.00 Donations (1) - $10,000.00 EXPENSES ($2,782.82) OPERATIONAL EXPENSES ($1,459.50) Professional Services - $385.34 Office Supplies/Software - $476.71 Printing - $25.80 Dues and Subscriptions - $71.25    Travel and Transportation - $59.90  Rent - 2021 Washington State Registered Agent Fee 2021 and Mailbox Rental - $300 .00 Bank Fees - $140.50 PROGRAM EXPENSES ($1,595.69) Meals - $486.89 Travel and Transportation - $653.26      Accommodations - $272.37 Supplies - $42.91 Printing - $5.14      Miscellaneous (scholarship) - $105.00 Bank Fees - $30.12 NET I...

The year of 2021 was traumatic and life-changing for many people and organizations in the world. For our organization, we also had serious challenges to overcome. The cultural exchange activities of the ATAYAL organization had been suspended since March 2020, including our most important cultural exchange event, the Tribal Canoe Journeys . However, through our relationships with our partners, staff, and supporters, we were able to achieve progress and make a difference for some communities. Instead of hanging up our paddles, our organization used the down time to be productive, strengthening the foundation for a sustainable future. Having some structures of organization in place, we were able to move forward on several fronts. Progress was made with the four pillars of our organization: Recruiting, Program Development, Partnerships and Fundraising . I. RECRUITING In 2021, we added key members to our Board and International Advisory Board. Each person brings to the organization their ...

We are proud to welcome  Suzan P. Babcock , who has joined the ATAYAL organization as an esteemed  Board Member . She has been a loyal supporter of our organization since 2012, and she is quite an accomplished person in Taiwan. Sue has a wealth of experience and qualifications, including: Graduate degrees in international/intercultural management and Counselor education Successful international cross-cultural management, team building, and cooperative project experiences Internationally recognized for communication abilities in writing, editing, publishing, and speech writing Respected community mentor and advocate for women and their stories Undergraduate degree in English Teacher Education and Teacher Training Extensive teaching and cross-cultural instruction experience for non-native speaker of English Although Susan has worked for notable positions with Taiwan's Ministry of Education, National Taiwan Normal University, she is currently the editor of "Centered in Taipei...