On May 28, I attended the annual Drive and Thrive event hosted by Indigenous Community Collaborative and Matriarch Mixer at Talking Stick Golf Club. The day included a network mixer, lunch with the keynote speaker, a Q&A followed by a golf clinic, and a round of golf. The day was geared toward networking with women in Indigenous spaces while also learning collaboration.

Indigenous Community Collaborative is a community-rooted social organization that believes that economics are built on cultural values. They also work heavily in trying to build relationships that better the communities rather than making a transaction. The collaborative is composed of Indigenous professionals, entrepreneurs, cultural practitioners and community members.

“The intention for this experience is just to connect us to each other. I think a lot of us are navigating in different spaces, and sometimes that means we are the only Indigenous person in that space, so we just want to offer a space where we could all connect with each other,” said Indigenous Community Collaborative founder and CEO Melody Lewis (Fort Mojave Indian Tribe). Lewis also shared the importance of being able to go out onto the golf course and conduct business. “[The golf course] is where business happens. I got my first partnership, long-time partnership, on that course,” said Lewis.

Being able to participate in the Drive and Thrive event as a reporter for O’odham Action News and as a Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community member was a very exciting opportunity. Through this experience I was able to network alongside 40 other women who are Indigenous or work within Indigenous fields. As someone who also has developed a love for golf, it was exciting for me to not only share that love but also share the knowledge I hold with ladies who may have never touched a golf club before. Attending this event, I met many new people who had wonderful stories to share.

Whether women are working in an Indigenous space or in a non-Indigenous space, it can be difficult to network, so having events like this is important. I’d like to thank the hosts for giving so many ladies this opportunity.