Foundations

• We stand upon the strength of all Indigenous people globally who have and continue to fight for the human right to exist in communities that are centered around integrity, honesty, and reciprocity.

• We recognize the incredible wealth of knowledge Indigenous people hold regarding community and sustainability.

• We understand community as the strongest resistance against capitalistic wealth hoarding.

• We name colonialism as the creator of the climate chaos that threatens all future generations.

Principles

• We uphold genuine friendship as one of the strongest drivers of positive change and is therefore a dynamic and complex network of individuals who have a personal investment in the well-being of one another.

• Individuals are supported and held accountable for the ways they uphold community, honor the land, and contribute to livable futures.

• Indigenous people are at the core of ABM’s values. Through the relationships they build, they educate the ABM community, sharing knowledge and perspectives that deepen understanding, while advancing self-determination in ways that reflect their worldviews and accommodate their priorities.

• We believe in moving the dial forward through active, engaging dialogues that educate on the urgency of climate change, critically examine popular and damaging histories, and explore the implications of leaving colonialism behind.

• We assert that the solution to climate change will depend on the adherence to Indigenous ways of being.

Actions

We collectively and cohesively:

• engage in the perpetual process of learning and relationship-building that creates friendship, strong partnerships, peer mentorship, opportunities, personal growth, and community.

• understand that we work under systems that make ethical business only marginally possible, which is why “business” must be part of the broader conversation about Indigenous sophistication, inter-community collaboration, and genuine investment in the well-being of future generations.

• unequivocally reject colonialism, its inherent coercion, and the genocide of all Indigenous people globally.

Commitment

Each decision-maker who participates in ABM:

• actively engages with all ABM Community Members to generously explore opportunities for friendship, collaboration, mentorship, partnership, integration, referrals, and knowledge exchange.

• is responsible for moving forward on their continuum of learning regarding colonialism and the world at large, as Indigenous people themselves must do every day to survive.

• seeks to create the conditions for Indigenous people to exist and prosper, recognizing the current status quo as a coercive force that consistently destroys land and community.

• is committed to truth and responsible for earning the place they want to hold in the ABM Community. This requires being open, generous, informed, active, and accountable.

• appreciates that Indigenous leadership deals with more complexity and criticism than corporate leadership and that relationships at ABM are built with adequate time, grace, and without flimsiness.

• contributes to the vitality and reciprocity of the ABM Community by looking beyond self-interest, engaging with multidimensional objectives, and bringing humility and love.