Online organizing + Consulting
@IndigenizingArtsEd on Instagram
I am the creator of @IndigenizingArtsEd on Instagram, a narrative disruption resource for Indigenous, Black, and non-Native communities working to undo settler-colonial culture and practices within their pedagogy and within their organizing. Through this account, which has amassed over 23,000 followers and engages an average of 30,000 views per post, I offer resources and thought leadership on decolonization strategies such as #LandBack, along with workshops, trainings, talks, and presentations. Follow @IndigenizingArtsEd to learn more, and to access resources.
I offer consulting services in the form of workshops, trainings, talks, 1:1 coaching, and presentations. Workshops and trainings are interactive, participatory, and arts-integrated. I honor participants by scaffolding learning, making accommodations for accessibility, and rooting in culturally-sustaining pedagogies. I also offer train-the-trainer models, curriculum writing, and educational consulting.
All consulting services can be curated to the needs of each person or group.
REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING SESSION:
Join Coahuiltecan educator Emi Aguilar (@IndigenizingArtsEd) in this interactive workshop to explore strategies rooted in kinship and reciprocity with Mother Earth. Participants will be invited to reflect, discuss, and collaborate on actionable methods to enact climate justice with young learners in classroom and home learning environments. This workshop will intentionally subvert European/colonial understandings of climate justice. Participants will leave with actionable strategies and recommended resources from an Indigenous lens, to begin or continue their climate justice work in early childhood education.
Learning Goals: By the end of this workshop:
Educators will be able to identify climate justice frameworks rooted in colonial values of hierarchy, extraction, and capital
Educators will practice integrating Indigenous values of kinship and reciprocity into their educational activities
Educators will be able to define the Land Back movement and how it is the touchstone for a climate-just world
Booklist for this Session: Indigenizing Climate Justice
Join us for BPL's 7th Annual Early Childhood Symposium. This year we will explore Climate Justice through a series of virtual and in-person programs for young children, early childhood educators, and parents throughout May 2025. Events will be added to the calendar between January 2025 and March 2025. Sign up for our mailing list to stay updated! Follow this link in the calendar to find programs for children and adults: bklynlib.org/ecsymposium
The Early Childhood Symposium is funded by the City's First Readers Initiative of the NY City Council.
Testimony
“I appreciated the way your workshop disrupts the way workshops are usually done!! I have run workshops/groups for many years and am unlearning settler colonial rules/culture around group work.”
“Emi laid a framework that allowed for many ways of responding with adequate quiet time and it felt accessible for people at different places on their journey.”
“It was so well-organized; the description matched the content; you are a confident facilitator; you kept to time; I loved the use of art; I learned a lot.”
“The format was community building and the constellation of the participants made me feel like I found my people. I immediately felt in safe and honest company. I credit that to the work you do in the world.”
“Deepened my own understanding of both decolonizing and storytelling practices. I appreciated the cyclical framework you used for the session Emi and felt my mind and body engaging with that cycle.”
The following topics are available for workshops, trainings, talks and presentations:
Decolonizing Arts Education | Decolonizing Early Childhood Arts Education
Social Media & Indigenous Knowledge Stewardship
Decolonizing Storytelling (narrative change)
Indigenizing Arts Education (arts education, Indigenous arts, visual and performing arts)
Indigenous Arts-Integration (teaching and learning through Indigenous arts)
Decolonizing Your Relationship with Lands, Waters, and Indigenous Peoples (undoing settler-colonial culture and moving toward being in right relation)
Coahuiltecan History of Central to South Texas and Northern Mexico
Digital Storytelling as a community-affirming practice
Poetry and Performance (For civilian and incarcerated people. Materials can be provided in English and Spanish)
Climate Justice, Land and Water Protection, #LandBack
Repatriation and NAGPRA; Cultural Considerations
Going Beyond Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Please email me at emxaguilar@gmail.com to begin the consultation process, or complete the accompanying form. I am happy to design a workshop, training, lesson or presentation that meets the needs of your community. Please try to initiate requests 60 days ahead of your scheduled event.
Decolonizing Storytelling
In this collaborative workshop, participants will engage in reflection, dialogue, and storytelling to decolonize your practice. This workshop is intended for arts educators, artists, storytellers, caregivers, youth workers, and adult educators. This workshop will de-center settler-colonial perspectives, teaching practices, and values. More info HERE
Arts Education Toward Decolonization
Part II: Decolonizing Arts Education
Thursday, September 23 // 5:30 – 7:00pm ET
In this workshop, Emi Aguilar will invite participants to engage in reflection, writing, and discussion as we work collaboratively toward decolonizing arts education practice. Emi will scaffold participants learning with a foundation in an Indigenous educator perspective. This workshop will intentionally de-center European and colonial understandings of teaching and learning. Participants will co-create a toolkit to begin their actionable work in decolonizing arts education within K-12 and community-based learning spaces. Register HERE