November 16, 2018
By Rebecca Darling
Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Barrick in the U.S.A.
How does Barrick approach community relations in Nevada? That’s a question I was asked recently and, while I could have given a long, jargon-filled answer, the first and perhaps most important thing that I thought of was that we listen. We listen when our partners share their concerns. We listen when they discuss their values, and we listen when they talk about their hopes and dreams. And then we work with them—respectfully, transparently, and continuously—to address their concerns and help them achieve their aspirations. It’s not always perfect. We don’t always agree, and we can’t always do everything that our partners would like us to. But we always listen, and we always make good on our commitments.
Rebecca Darling is Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Barrick in the U.S.A.
It is this approach that has helped build such a strong and vibrant partnership with the Western Shoshone community, one of our key stakeholders in Nevada. When our Shoshone partners explained years ago that education and employment were among their highest priorities, we were listening. When they said cultural and language preservation were equally critical, we heard that too. The result is a corporate social responsibility program intensely focused on Shoshone youth—the next generation. Led by the incomparable Brian Mason, Barrick’s Manager of Native American Affairs in North America, who is himself of Shoshone heritage, we’ve worked with our Shoshone partner communities to create a program that encompasses academic support, youth employment, culture and language, scholarships, internships, and local employment opportunities.
Brian Mason, Manager of Native American Affairs at Barrick.
In the stories that follow, you will read about some of these initiatives. You will meet people like Adam Nalley, a prime example of what’s possible when you provide support to bright young people hungry to realize their full potential. As a teenager, Adam benefited from the guidance of Antoinette Cavanaugh, a Barrick-funded educational consultant who provides academic support to Shoshone high school students. A former Superintendent of the Elko County School District, Antoinette has become something of a communal mother to students like Adam, who she lovingly refers to as her ‘kiddos’.
Adam Nalley (back row left) with fellow Shoshone interns. In all, Barrick provided funding for 18 Shoshone summer interns to work in their communities this past summer.
When school was out, Adam took part in the Summer Youth Employment Program, a Barrick-funded initiative that allows Shoshone youth aged 14 to 18 to gain valuable work experience in their communities. This past summer alone, 136 students participated in the program, performing jobs ranging from painting to community maintenance to elder care.
Adam also reserved parts of his summers to attend a Barrick-funded Shoshone language and cultural program at the University of Utah. While there he benefited from the tutelage of Sam Broncho, a budding community leader who you will also meet. Since 2008, the year Barrick began supporting intensive summer language programs for Shoshone youth, more than 100 students have participated in these initiatives.
Shoshone youth participate in traditional hand games at the career and cultural fair.
A standout student, Adam is now a sophomore at Stanford University majoring in computer science. His tuition is partially funded by the Western Shoshone Scholarship Fund, which provides $3,000 per semester for post-secondary school studies. Since its inception in 2008, the Fund has awarded $3.7 million benefiting 1,627 students.
This past summer, Adam worked as an intern in his community. His salary was funded by Barrick, as were the salaries of 18 other Shoshone interns. A big part of their summer involved organizing a career and cultural fair for the next generation of Shoshone youth—many of whom hope to follow in Adam’s footsteps. The event, held at Great Basin College in Elko, Nevada, was an opportunity for 160 youth from eight Shoshone communities not only to prepare for the future but also to remember the past. They learned traditional Shoshone songs, dance, hand games, and crafts. And they spent time talking with and, more importantly, listening to Shoshone elders talk about and reflect on the past. Because, as one elder so rightly imparted to me, if you don’t know where you come from, you won’t know how to go forward.
Rebecca Darling speaks at the career and cultural fair. Standing beside her on stage are Shoshone summer interns, who organized the event.