*January 10, 2021* Welcome to What the Helena! We’ll be hitting your inbox weekly with everything you need to know about Montana’s 67th Legislative Session and how it affects young Montanans. Was your New Year’s resolution to be a better activist? You’re in the right place. Thanks for joining us! The legislative session kicked off…
Background: This April, a Montana Judge canceled a national permit for the TransCanada Keystone XL tar sands pipeline giving blanket approval to construct the pipeline across hundreds of rivers and streams. This was a substantial blow to pipeline construction, but not a final end to this dangerous project. In September, TransCanada applied for a…
Please see the below statement from Kiersten Iwai, Executive Director and Amara Reese-Hansell, Program Director: As an organization that fiercely believes in a just and equitable world where all Montanans can thrive, we’re disappointed in this week’s statewide election results. We’re grappling with the fact that our generation is now represented by Montana politicians…
For those of you who are looking to engage, need to vent and voice your frustrations, or just have an issue or topic you’d like to engage around, we encourage you (if you feel comfortable) to fill out the form below. As we build out our plans for the next several months, we want all…
It has been 7 years since my first day as an FMT intern. Since then, I have served as a volunteer, field fellow, field organizer, and field manager. I have organized dozens of community events, mobilized thousands of voters, testified in public hearings, met hundreds of incredibly passionate organizers across the country, and so much…
One of the best things about Forward Montana is that we are a cooperative organization: our Board of Directors is made up of and elected by Forward Montana members each year. Well, folks, the time for Board Elections is now (June 8th through July 3rd) – and whoa do we have some GREAT candidates. REMEMBER: Only…
Forward Montana and Forward Montana Foundation denounces the white supremacy and police violence that is killing Black lives. We proudly support the #BlackLivesMatter uprisings and actions across the nation and state of Montana In 2004, the founders of our organization believed in an equitable Montana where all people could thrive. They believed Montana would be…
Here’s some things you can do. In our experience, we have found that many (well-intentioned) white people often conflate Montana’s whiteness with a lack of diversity and racism. This harmful rhetoric erases the thousands of years Indigenous peoples who have stewarded the land and communities of color who call Montana home. It also ignores the…
Governor Steve Bullock announced on March 25th that counties would have the option to move to an all mail election for the June Primary. Wondering what that means for you? It means if you’re a registered voter, you’ll be receiving a ballot in your mailbox come June. You’ll fill out your ballot and mail it…
When I stepped into the Executive Director’s role at Forward Montana, I could not have anticipated the global challenges we would be facing less than four months later. When I started, my mind was filled with questions like “How often should I communicate with my Board,” and “How do I figure out my budget gap”?…
