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Our principles
Respect the people.
Care for the place.
Good educational work starts with local direction, equal dignity, careful stewardship, and a useful result.
Community direction
Listen to the people who live and work in a place. Let community priorities guide the question, the project, and the decision to continue.
Tribal sovereignty
Each sovereign Tribal Nation determines its representation, cultural content, knowledge, and participation. Record review rights, ownership, and sharing permissions with authorized representatives.
Equal dignity
Welcome learners across backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, and experience. People speak for themselves and participate through a shared educational purpose.
Land and water stewardship
Care for the land, water, and living communities for future generations through practical action, responsible access, and locally meaningful work.
Safe, accessible learning
Plan supervision, responsible tool use, field access, and accessible resources. Obtain appropriate permissions for student images, stories, and shared work.
Evidence of progress
Track completed projects, skills practiced, educator feedback, and the use of resources. Use that evidence to improve the program and communicate clearly.
A wider circle
Distinct voices.
Shared work.
ODL respects the living cultures, knowledge, and authority of the communities it engages.
Alliance development connects local educational work with wider exchange. Each participating organization defines its own scope and approved public language. ODL credits contributions and returns learning to the people who helped create it.
Explore the alliance strategyLet’s make something useful