Tewatohnhi’saktha: An Evolving Purpose
Tewatohnhi’saktha has a history of 25 years serving the Kahnawà:ke community members. The organization is a semi-autonomous entity, established in 1999 by legislation of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK).

The organization operates as a band-empowered entity with oversight by a Board of Directors that consists of seven voting members (four elected members and three members appointed by the MCK).

As part of the strategic planning process, there was a review of the organization’s purpose and promise to stakeholders by reviewing and updating the Mission and Vision statements.

In establishing the Mission and Vision of the organization, the 2009 Community Shared Vision served as a guide. The Kahnawà:ke community has collectively prioritized the principles of self-sufficiency, opportunity, and encouragement, and these ideas emerged in the development of Tewatohnhi’saktha’s Vision and Mission statements, in addition to the expression of the updated Core Values.

The updated Vision and Mission statements are as follows:

Vision Statement:

Our vision is a self-sustaining and prosperous community that fosters opportunities for continuous growth and well-being for the next seven generations.

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to enhance Kahnawà:ke’s economic growth by investing in and empowering people and businesses.

Mandate

Tewatohnhi’saktha’s Mandate (since 2019) was developed between the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke and Tewatohnhi’saktha to define a shared understanding of the organization’s scope of responsibilities.

Tewatohnhi’saktha is responsible for the delivery of the following areas within Kahnawà:ke:

	Workforce Development – to enable individuals to acquire knowledge, skills & attitudes for gainful employment or improved work performance and providing employers with an effective means to communicate and meet their demand for skills to decrease the number of unemployed & under-employed community members.
	Business Retention & Expansion – to ensure that businesses located within Kahnawà:ke maintain and expand (as measured by increasing the number of individuals employed) their operations within the Territory.
	Entrepreneurship & Business Services – to provide entrepreneurs with access to developmental loans & other financial contributions, training, mentoring & the technical assistance they need to start-up and expand their business.
	Economic Development Marketing & Tourism – to market the overall community, individual properties or sites, or specific programs or policies for the purposes of attraction, retention, and expansion of businesses, increasing the number of tourists, and improvement of the community’s image locally, nationally, and internationally.
	Economic Policy Advisory – to provide research and analysis of how economic policy, commercial regulations, and macroeconomic trends could impact Kahnawà:ke’s economy and businesses.