Thank you to everyone who participated in the second annual Cowlitz Senior Symposium!  We had an excellent time and look forward to making next year's event bigger and better.  

Break Room

Between the Exhibitor Hall and the General Event Room (where meals and keynote will be held), we will have comfortable chairs and tables for conversation or just some down time. 

Chair Massage

Sign up for a 15-minute chair massage.  We will have two therapists from Self Balance Massage available on Sunday 12:30pm - 5:30 pm and Monday 3:30pm - 5:30 pm between the Exhibitor Hall and the Breakroom.  Sign up for your slot at the CIT booth.

Family Tree

Want to know more about your lineage? Sign up for a 20-min consultation with Michael Hubbs.  Mike can take you through your family lineage and provide a printed copy of your family tree for you to take home.  A sign-up sheet will be available at his booth in the Exhibitor Hall.

Photo Opportunity

The SUD booth will have a photographer available to take pictures of elders. Our goal is to display these photos in Cowlitz Tribal buildings. Each person who comes to the booth for a photo will receive a printed 8”x10” copy. Attendees are invited to bring regalia to be worn for the photo if they desire.

Join us in the afternoon for snacks and activities.  

Medicine Doll Making with Clay Koch

Tribal Member Clay will guide participants through the  process of making "pioneer dolls" with a cultural twist. Pioneer dolls arrived to the west in the 1800's. It is not a traditional Cowlitz craft but brings something from the past to the present with a "cultural" spin on it.

Chair Yoga with Linda Bart

Chair yoga is a low-impact yoga practice in which postures are performed while seated and/or with  the aid of a chair. These postures help relax and elongate stiff sore muscles, relieve stress, and energize the body all from a seated position. It increases flexibility and strength which can also aid in pain management. It's fun, easily modified to each individual, and a great self-care activity!

The Chair Massage will continue through the reception.

Finding Chalacha: How the prairie that Cowlitz people "valued most and would part with last" became our reservation

Cowlitz Historian and Elder Mike Iyall will convey how a shared thirst for knowledge helped us finish a 150-year quest for Federal Recognition and win a 15-year fight for a reservation for our Cowlitz Tribe. Mike Iyall - retired Cowlitz Tribal Council member of over 30  years, primary history researcher for the acknowledgment petition, subsequent litigation documents and fee-to-trust process.  He headed the initial tribal Natural & Cultural Resources Department.

Aztec Dancers

IXIC is a nonprofit cultural group out of Portland. Aztec/Mexica Dance is an ancestral and cultural legacy to honor the energy of Tonanzintlalli – Mother earth or Mother Nature. Aztec/Mexica Dance are movement that represent the four elements: fire, wind, water, and earth. Some steps resemble a sacred animal like the eagle, jaguar, crocodile, rabbit, hummingbird, etc. There are also steps that resemble medicinal or sacred plants like the reed or flower.

Onsite Event Volunteer Interest Form

CIT Staff and Volunteers in are thrilled to host the second annual Senior Symposium. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is seeking volunteers to help with the planning and logistics of this event.  If you are interested in any of the opportunities listed below, please complete the Volunteer Interest Form.  

Volunteer orientation: Review volunteer applications; Assign and schedule volunteers; Review tasks, expectations, and ensure all volunteers respond correctly to the needs of participants.

Speaker Logistics: Liaison with speakers to receive copy of presentation and all other necessary documents; Provide copies of presentations to staff; Create thank you letters for speakers and source small speaker gifts; Work with Chairman to get thank you letters signed by Chairman and distributed to speakers; Provide speakers with directions to venue and other relevant information (i.e. information on parking, wifi, etc).

Registration/Information Desk: These volunteers assist with attendee check-in. Some volunteers will need computer skills to help with tasks such as printing name badges and looking up attendees in the registration system. Others will help pass out the bags and name tags, or assist with VIP and speaker check-in. Volunteers must have the ability to stay calm when faced with a large crowd with lots of questions. Enjoying working with people is a must. Standing will be required for busy times. This position requires ability to trouble-shoot, process questions/information, and be a positive face for CIT. Attendees will expect you to have the answer to everything, so familiarize yourself with the conference schedule; special events, restaurants, and other items that you believe will contribute to an overall positive conference experience including information about the conference for attendees.  Volunteers on the Monday shift will also assist with packing up our supplies after the conference ends. 

Session Room Hosts: These volunteers help with the general and workshop sessions. They assist speakers as needed, help with handouts, evaluations, introductions, help people find seating, and go around the room with microphones for questions. The lead room host also introduces the speakers and helps keep time when sessions are close to ending. Audio Visual help for Technology set-up/support: Presenters to make sure that any audio and video presentation is working.

Hospitality: These volunteers are our greeters, outside door monitors for general sessions, lunch monitors (helping to guide people as they enter the lunchroom), and evening events helpers. They also provide information regarding locations of sessions or rooms and the event schedule; chat with folks as appropriate and offer to help them; assist any attendees who are self-identified as having special needs; providing directions and general information for the conference venue, as well as seeing to their general comfort.  We want every single attendee to have a positive conference experience, and all of the hospitality volunteers are instrumental in making that happen.

Help Desk: Checking in volunteers as they report for duty, Help direct attendees to the right rooms and point out where events are being held, Handling Lost and Found inquiries.

Photography: Capture candid photos of the event.

Post-event Opportunities 

Teardown: loading and packing supplies

Create post-conference survey

Tabulate post-conference survey & prepare report

Send thank you notes to all volunteers, vendors and sponsors