The symposium will provide an environment and process that generates creative thinking, debate and the development of future options for the reformation of social welfare systems in Indian Country.

"The two-day symposium is designed to move participants beyond the day-to-day welfare problems to think in more holistic terms regarding the future welfare and sustainability of tribal communities," said Eddie F. Brown, D.S.W., associate dean and director of the Buder Center. "The agenda is structured to provide a process in which 30 select tribal leaders, administrators and policy advocates will be convened and encouraged to address tribal welfare issues in a longer-term, 'whole-systems' way of thinking. Through brainstorming, critical thinking and consensus building, a 'preferred future' social welfare strategy will be developed to assist tribal governments in setting goals and initiating change."

The current list of participants and their papers are: Eddie F. Brown, "Framing the Future: Trends That Will Impact Indian Country's Social Welfare System"; Stephen Cornell, Ph.D., director of the University of Arizona's Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, "Building Institutional Capacity to Manage Tribal Social Welfare Systems";

Jack Tweedie, director of the National Conference of State Legislatures' Children and Families Program, "Tribal/State/Federal Relations"; and Kathleen Earle, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Southern Maine's Institute for Child and Family Policy, "Collecting Tribal Data: Current and Future Direction."

Additional symposium participants include: Don Shircel, director of family services, Tanana Chiefs Conference; Bobby Whitefeather, chairman of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians; Teresa McDonald, director of human resources for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; John McCoy, executive director of intergovernmental relations;

Robert Chicks, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians; Mark Lewis, program director of behavioral health and social services; Jim Nordland, director of Alaska's Division of Public Assistance; Jim Olson, tribal liaison for the Minnesota Department of Human Services;

Eileen Sweeney, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Alex Yazza, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) director for the Navajo Nation; Eli Hunt, chairman of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; David Gipp, president of the United Tribes Technical College; Alvin Windy Boy, senior chairman of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation; Jacqueline Johnson, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians;

Virginia Hill, executive director of the Torres Martinez Tribal TANF; Terry Ross, administrator of the San Carlos Apache Tribal Social Services; John G. RedHorse, American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota-Duluth; Wes Martel, Eastern Shoshone Business Council; Brian Wallace, chairman of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California; Ray Lasley, Osage Tribe TANF administrator; and, Kathy Larin, senior analyst from the U.S. general accounting office.

In addition to Brown, Miriam Jorgensen, Ph.D., research director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Government and associate director for research at the University of Arizona's Native Nations Institute, and doctoral candidate Sarah Hicks, director of the Welfare Reform Program, National Congress of American Indians, coordinated the symposium.

All sessions will be videotaped for later use in drafting a national report, classroom teaching and tribal presentations and workshops.

Copies of the symposium report also will be distributed to interested tribal governments, national tribal organizations and federal and congressional offices.