Jarrette Werk

COMMUNICATIONS LEAD 

EMAIL: JARRETTE.WERK@ASPENINSTITUTE.ORG

Jarrette Werk, A’aniiih and Nakoda of Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana, is a junior at the University of Nevada Las Vegas studying multimedia journalism. Inspired by the lack of mainstream media coverage of the Dakota Access pipeline, Werk decided to pursue a degree in media. His work focuses on positively and accurately covering the issues of Indigenous Peoples within Indian Country. Werk has been a fellow of the Native American Journalists Association since 2017, as well as a 2018-2019 Generation Indigenous Movement Builders fellow. His MBF cohort created the ‘Reclaiming Our Narrative’ project, a multimedia narrative change project highlighting the work of young Indigenous professionals conducting impactful and important works within Indian Country; including activism, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, climate change and media representation.

Werk is using his platform to bring awareness to Indigenous issues and working towards reclaiming the Indigenous narrative through storytelling. As a portrait photographer, he captures and creates fresh and contemporary imagery of Indigenous Peoples. 

He currently works as the Communications Lead for the Center for Native American Youth at The Aspen Institute, providing a platform to amplify the voices of Indigenous Youth.