This interview originally aired on In the Moment on SDPB Radio.
A South Dakota leader has been named a national changemaker. Tasha Fridia is part of the first cohort partaking in the Obama Foundation's Leaders USA program.
Fridia is known for her advocacy with Friends of the Children here at home. Her acceptance into the Obama Leadership program opens doors for her and her fellow cohorts.
She describes the surreal experience and what she's learning from her executive leadership coach and the others in the program.
Lori Walsh:
You're listening to In the Moment on South Dakota Public Broadcasting. I'm Lori Walsh. Well, Tasha Fridia is part of the first cohort of 100 change makers partaking in the Obama Foundation's Leaders USA program. The Obama Leaders Program is a six-month virtual program and it seeks to connect and empower leaders across the US, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Europe. And the program instills leadership values and ideals inspired by the legacy of the Obama's. So Tasha is with me now in our Black Hills Surgical Hospital Studios, is rolling up to the mic here. And thank you so much for being here.
Tasha Fridia:
Well, thank you for having me. This is really exciting news and an exciting opportunity, so happy to share.
Lori Walsh:
I'm going to have you scoot up just a little bit more so everybody can hear you in all the corners of the state. How did you hear about this program in the first place? Do you remember the first time you were like, what is this? This is a whole new thing.
Tasha Fridia:
Right. So it was very surprising. I get the Obama Foundation kind of listserv email and I open them and kind of scroll through and I was like, "This is amazing." I knew that there had been Obama leaders in Asia and Europe and Africa and this was the first time they were going to have it in the US. And I read the application and I was like, "I think this is something that could benefit me in all of the aspects of the work that I do."
Lori Walsh:
Yeah and if it benefits you, it benefits your work, it benefits your community. But it is a big ask of you. It's a big commitment for you to sort of level up. How did you overcome any self-doubt that you had or any, why me, sort of moments to pursue the next opportunity for learning?
Tasha Fridia:
Sure. And it definitely was a pursuit of self-personal development but with that always in mind what that impact has on my community and the future generations, particularly because I work for the future of young people and families. I don't think there was any self- doubt necessarily, maybe a long shot, right? But I was happy to at least apply and give it my best effort. And I think when we got the news was kind of when it was very surreal, like this actually happened, they chose me. And in our first session they said that President Obama looked at our bios and our applications and I was like, "Whoa, this is for real." So it was a very surreal and humbling moment.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah. So what's next then? Where are you at in the process of learning?
Tasha Fridia:
Sure. So we are just about a month into the program and so far it has actually already been phenomenally life changing. We have access to executive leadership coaches, which I never thought I needed or would have access to. And that just really expanded a lot of the ways that I think about my own trajectory as a person and a community member and a relative.
But also within the sessions, just having the opportunity to exchange with other change makers and be innovative and hear about the work that they're doing. And trying to apply that to the challenges and opportunities in my own community and own workspace has just been somewhat of a relief. But also there's fellowship and comradery in a lot of the experiences that we have because we're similarly situated and the values driven curriculum really speaks to all of our hearts and spirits.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah. So let's talk about that cohort a little bit. Because once you're in the room it can be overwhelming and humbling but also just profoundly encouraging to meet some of the people that you're going to be going on this journey with. What kind of work are they doing and I know you can't share any private information, but what's inspiring you about that cohort and the work they're doing in the world?
Tasha Fridia:
Sure. I think just the diversity of the work that everyone is doing. So for instance, we have a colleague who has started an eyewear company that is, I mean, who knew? I didn't know that most eyewear is created for an Anglo face and Anglo features. And so she is in Hawaii and she's created an eyewear company that speaks to the faces of her people. And then has a philanthropic arm of that where they pay for school with part of the proceeds.
There's another gentleman who is trying to transform the face of the fraternity system in higher education. And that's not something I would've normally thought about in my realm of work, but the types of things that he's doing is just really amazing and made me think, these fraternal systems have some of the next leaders in them and how changing that environment can impact a ripple effect into the future.
Lori Walsh:
Wow, that's kind of mind-blowing. Two things that I would not have thought of either. And they're saying the same thing about you. So let's talk about your work that some people would not have thought of. What is your work in the world right now? What is Friends of the Children?
Tasha Fridia:
Sure. So I'm the National Director of Tribal Programs for Friends of the Children. We are a youth mentoring model. We start with youth ages four to five with the highest risk factors and lowest protective factors and we pair them with a paid professional mentor that stays with them through their high school years. So 12 years plus no matter what. And that early intervention and the longevity and consistency of the model has been proven.
What I am doing is, I'm grounding that in indigenous culture we actually have here. Friends of the Children - He Sapa, which is the shirt that I'm wearing today. So we have a location here in Rapid City and on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Porcupine. And this is the first culturally specific site in the 30 years of Friends of the Children, where it's grounded in Lakota culture and lifeways and so we know that this model works but what does it look like? How much more effective can it be in Indian country when we are grounding it in our cultural?
Lori Walsh:
So are you thinking about it being portable or scalable or are you thinking about it being more in depth in the location that it's at?
Tasha Fridia:
So the great thing about Friends of the Children is that we have over 30 chapters in the United States. In each community really we co-create with them from the national level what that looks like for their particular community. And I think that's super important for tribes because they're Sovereign Nations, they have their own government systems, their own structures and so we really try to be very intentional about honoring that sovereignty.
For instance, we asked the Oglala Sioux Tribe for a resolution of support to bring Friends of the Children into their homelands, particularly because we're asking for access to the most sacred resource our children, our future generations. And so really looking at each community is different. We have chapters in LA, we're opening one in the Twin Cities, Houston. And so it really spans the spectrum of very remote rural to very metropolitan urban. And so that can look very different and we really want it to be for and by the community. So hiring local boards and they are their own freestanding nonprofits.
Lori Walsh:
All right, so is there a cohort, as it were, for Friends of the Children where you can learn from each other and sort of capitalize on some of the solutions that people have found in a different community even though some of those solutions might absolutely not work in your community for specific reasons, but some might. So is there a network of Friends of the Children leadership that you benefit from?
Tasha Fridia:
Yeah. So actually more so I am from the National Organization really providing those sorts of opportunities within the programming space. So we have meetings of our executive directors all over the country. They meet and they talk and discuss challenges and solutions that they're coming up with. Same thing with program directors. Specifically for my work, I provide guidance, for lack of better term, technical assistance and education around tribal engagement because a lot of people don't know what they don't know. And how are we going into community as good relatives to work alongside people that are already doing this great work.
Lori Walsh:
Did you have someone for you that you think back as being a mentor or a guide that changed your life growing up? Did you come to this work with that kind of heart in your background or was it all a learning experience for you? Were you like, oh, this is a big learning curve, I got to go. Tell me a little bit about that.
Tasha Fridia:
No, I think this is definitely in my DNA. Not too long ago someone asked me why a heart for youth work because everything youth is my heart work. And I really had to be reflective. I was raised by my indigenous grandmother who was a fierce activist but also worked with youth with substance misuse disorders and I grew up going around with her in the '80s. I went everywhere with her and she always called them my kids and picked them up in vans, picked them up from places that they probably shouldn't have been and she always showed them great care and love and support.
And I think she just modeled that for me and showed me inequities in education. She had a ninth grade education, I got to watch her get a GED, a couple of Associate's Degrees as she stepped her toe in. And then finally she got a Master's Degree from the University of Oklahoma. So really got to watch her journey and she's my greatest mentor. She's in the spirit world now but she is a greatest mentor and really modeled what it is to be a good relative.
Lori Walsh:
You watched her go from a GED to a Master's Degree?
Tasha Fridia:
I did.
Lori Walsh:
That's remarkable.
Tasha Fridia:
Yeah. When I think about it's simply amazing and that's what we are trying to do for the youth and families that we serve. We're trying to help them have the freedom to dream, have the freedom to take care of themselves, not only in a western sense but also in a cultural sense. And those are all things that she gave to me. If I think about my own life and really think about it, I could have used a friend. My parents were teenagers. I was raised by my grandmother, not my biological parents. We didn't have the most money but she was my friend.
Lori Walsh:
Oh, wow. All right. You mentioned before about the Obama Foundation work values-based curriculum. Tell me more about that. That sounds interesting.
Tasha Fridia:
Sure. So the foundation itself has some really great core values. Like you said, the whole intent of the Obama leaders is to really empower people and provide us with the resources that we need to grow our own leadership. But some of the first sessions have been really great in just making us be both reflective and introspective about our own values and to talk those through with other people.
And to take on scenarios where maybe two of our values are at odds and what do we do then? The kinds of things that we don't get to pause and think about. This is a space where we get to have those conversations with like-minded folks and some that aren't like-minded. And really take all of that exchange and move forward in whatever way we need to, given our different trajectories.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah, our own values there. I often think about other people's desires being in conflict but often there is that cognitive dissonance that we have with ourselves. That's fascinating. How do you make time for this in your life to do this work? You got to slow down for that.
Tasha Fridia:
There's no slowing down in my life. I'm getting married in a couple of weeks.
Lori Walsh:
Wow, congratulations.
Tasha Fridia:
So planning a wedding. I have two daughters and two nieces at home and I'm traveling constantly but I really chose this. There was an intentionality about this as well in my commitment to myself and my growth. One thing that I always say in my prayers and think about is that every day when I wake up, I want to be a better person than I was the day before, even if incrementally, right?
And so this is part of me building into myself a lot of times. I do a lot of other things as well for free in contracting but this was something where I was investing in me and that investment is going to ripple into the future. So I just make the time. My staff and CEO has been super supportive. It's probably about four hours a week, so that's a huge chunk of my time but it is so worth it. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah. Tell me a little bit about, you said you never really had an executive leadership coach but yet from my perspective, you could be that coach. So stepping aside and being humble about what you already know and have a track record in but yet learning the next thing. How are you navigating that?
Tasha Fridia:
The coaching that we're getting is very ... The curriculum is amazing. Actually, the founder is originally from the Rapid City area, which I thought was, small world.
Lori Walsh:
Small world, big city, right?
Tasha Fridia:
Right.
Lori Walsh:
Big impact here in Rapid, here in the Black Hills. Yeah.
Tasha Fridia:
For sure. So it is a well laid out platform. Really encourages you not only to think about what your goals are, but how you're going to get there to prioritize them. And then there's the human aspect. I think you match yourself with a coach and I just made a really great match. She even has said, "I see myself in you many years ago." So it's been really great.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah. How can the rest of us engage in being a friend to children, being a mentor to others, seeking out mentorship when we need it. People who are not part of Obama Leaders, but who are hearing you today and are inspired to do the next big thing or ask the next hard question? What would some of your early advice to people be who are listening today?
Tasha Fridia:
Sure. I think that we all have roles and responsibilities within our communities and we get to determine what we want to do and how far we want to lean in. I will say that our local chapter is hiring for Friends right now. So I would definitely encourage people who are interested in being a paid professional mentor because that's their full-time job, is working with children and helping to support them and their families. So they're hiring.
I think the other thing that we find particularly in Indian country and here in the He Sapa chapter, is that we don't have a lot of philanthropic dollars rurally and this is still considered pretty rural. And so even small donations help in the ways that we're able to impact youth and families moving forward.
Because I always tell people when I come into a new community or work with a chapter that's existing, we are only limited by our imagination and funding. So just those two things. And then, of course, I think in our individual lives, I still have mentors that I look to. I do try to lean back and mentor others. I was talking to a mentee this morning and I think, a lot of us are doing that informally and as unpaid, but as being good relatives. So I would encourage you to do that.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah, yeah. I was going to ask what does it mean to be a good relative, but I think that you've been doing nothing but answering that in your words and in your life work as well. So, I mean, Tasha Fridia, first cohort of 100 changemakers partaking in the Obama Foundation's Leaders USA Program, we look forward to hearing from you again as this work develops and you apply it in different ways in your life. But not until after you get married because you got to focus, because I focus on so much. Tasha, thank you for stopping by today. We really appreciate it.
Tasha Fridia:
Oh, well thank you for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity to share.
Lori Walsh:
Yeah.
