About Us
Supporting and Enabling Covenant Particpants
The hub of the wheel called the Matoaka Covenant is The Pocahontas Project which will support, enable and facilitate the objectives and efforts of the growing collection of Participants (and then Partner) spokes. Through its website, blogs, social media and personalized attention to each prospective organization, community and individual, TPP will offer the following benefits to Covenant Participants through October 31, 2021 and then to the Partners of the Covenant forever:
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Matoaka Covenant Action Portal – Connecting Participants and Partners with Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan projects and programs that match their goals and objectives
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Assistance in creating / joining a Matoaka Covenant Action Committee, and developing an individualized long term action plan as well as benchmarks to manage the plan
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Connections to other Covenant Participants and Partners – locally, regionally, nationally and globally
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Inspiration from the life and legacy of Matoaka / Pocahontas and through participation in the Covenant and its connection to the global Covenant movement
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Scrapbooking options to help Participants collect memories of their substantial events and happenings related to the Covenant, in an effort to help them make their adoption decision, and then to provide a foundation for their efforts as a Covenant Partner
The Pocahontas Project views Pocahontas as the spiritual icon of Hope and Purpose, inspired by her short but powerful life example and impact on the future course of world history. The Project embraces the perspective of 19th century author William Watson Waldon who wrote, “Pocahontas is one of those characters, rarely appearing on the theatre of life, which no age can claim, no country appropriate. She is the property of mankind, serving as a beacon to light us on our way, instruct us in our duty, and show us what the human mind is capable of performing when abandoned to its own operations”
Primary Mission
First imagined in 2017, The Pocahontas Project has been constantly growing and developing its public-private collaboration while defining and refining the tactics of its strategic action plan. From the beginning and consistently throughout its emergence, The Pocahontas Project has embraced the same basic mission: Use the power of the life, legend and legacy of the woman most famously known as Pocahontas to inspire hope and purposeful action in a growing number of people around the world, collectively working towards a peaceful and sustainable future for all mankind
Inspiration
In March of 2017 the world was reminded of the spiritual power and incredible courage and commitment inherent in the life of the woman called Matoaka, Amonute, and Rebecca, but most famously known as Pocahontas, when the community of Gravesend, England commemorated the 400th anniversary of her death and funeral there on March 21, 1617. Members of three Virginia delegations that participated in the Pocahontas 400 events, including three Virginia Indian Chiefs, returned home with a collective inspiration that became The Pocahontas Project
Primary programmatic Efforts
To achieve its mission, The Pocahontas Project has developed one major initiative called the Matoaka Covenant which follows a strategic plan called the Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan, which is supported by several Project efforts including:
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Pocahontas Leadership Collaborative – Working with secondary students around the world to inspire and equip the future leaders of the Action Plan
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Pocahontas Descendants Initiative – Connecting the living descendants of Pocahontas, possibly as many as 100,000 people around the world, in common purpose in honor of their ancestor and in support of the Action Plan
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Gloucester Pocahontas Celebration – Offering an annual commemoration and celebration of the life, legend and legacy of the woman most famously known as Pocahontas in the land now called Gloucester County, home to Werowocomoco, where Matoaka was born in 1596.
Structure of The Pocahontas Project
The Pocahontas Project is a public-private collaboration organized as a non-profit organization headquartered in the County of Gloucester, Virginia, USA. Proud individuals who are members of the initial Board of Directors of The Pocahontas Project include:
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Anne Richardson, Chief of the Rappahannock Indian Tribe
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Carol Steele, Gloucester County Deputy County Administrator
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Rt. Rev. Dr. Carol Gallagher, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts - Canon for the Central Region
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Rhonda Taylor, Gifted Resource Teacher – Gloucester County Public Schools
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Rick Tatnall, Executive Director of The Pocahontas Project