August-September 2015 Edition 4 _____________________________________________________________________________________ We’re excited to share the positive work of tribal nations and communities, Native families and organizations, and the Administration that empowers our youth to thrive. In partnership with the My Brother’s Keeper, Generation Indigenous (“Gen-I”), and First Kids 1st Initiatives, please join our First Kids 1st community and share your stories and best practices that are creating a positive impact for Native youth. To highlight your stories in future newsletters, send your information to [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Youth Highlights II. Upcoming Opportunities & Announcements III. Call for Future Content *************************************************************************************************** 1 th Sault Ste. Marie Celebrates Youth Council’s 20 Anniversary On September 18 and 19, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Youth Council (TYC) 20-Year Anniversary Mini Conference & Celebration was held at the Kewadin Casino & Convention Center. It was a huge success with approximately 40 youth attending from across the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians service area. For the past 20 years, tribal youth grades 8-12 have taken on Childhood Obesity, Suicide and Bullying Prevention, Drug Abuse, and Domestic Violence in their communities. The Youth Council has produced PSAs, workshops, and presentations that have been done on local, tribal, state, and national levels and also hold the annual Bike the Sites event, a 47-mile bicycle ride to raise awareness on Childhood Obesity and its effects. TYC alumni provided testimony on their experiences with the youth council and how TYC has helped them in their walk in life. The celebration continued during the evening with approximately 100 community members expressing their support during the potluck feast and drum social held at the Sault Tribe’s Culture Building. Over the last 20 years, youth and adults have created a safe place for youth to explore and embrace their traditions and culture, to confidently take their place among their peers, and to find their footing as leaders in their communities. As children of the first TYC members are coming of age to be TYC members themselves, the next 20 years of youth leadership has never looked brighter. Ho-Chunk Nation Youth Council Hosts Suicide Prevention Conference The Pac Haci Youth Council of the Ho-Chunk Nation – and respective collaborative partners – organized and hosted its “Prevent Suicide Conference” at the Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin September 18-20. Formed in 2011, the Pac Haci Youth Council is driven to combat suicide rates through public education and outreach and have cultivated a number of positive efforts such as establishing a suicide task force within the local 2 high school, serving as mentors to younger students, running marathons and raising funds to make the most recent conference free to all attendees. Pac Haci Youth Council President, Aliyah Cloud, reflects on the Prevent Suicide Conference: My name is Aliyah Cloud. I am a 17 year old senior at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School. I am the current Pac Haci Youth Council President. When I began attending youth council meetings they were talking about youth suicide prevention and I was intrigued by the openness of this topic discussion. I wanted to help, so I volunteered to do research for the Prevent Suicide Conference. In researching for the conference I learned how many people out there are trying to make a difference, but I also noticed that many of these programs were adult-run and saw very little from a youth’s perspective let alone a Native American’s perspective. This helped me see how important what we were trying to do truly was. To help raise funds for the Prevent Suicide Conference, I sold baked goods at my high school as well as selling a lot of raffle tickets for blankets, baskets, beaded earrings, brewer’s tickets, and whatever else was donated by our local community members. We also held two silent painted chair auctions. Both chair auctions raised nearly $7,500 that went straight towards the cost of the conference since we wanted to make sure this could be a free event to all who attended. The Pac Haci Youth Council worked together with our advisors, which include youth services staff, a behavioral health clinician and family services life skills coordinator to assist in utilizing positive coping skills in our fundraising efforts. This also brought awareness to our families and communities by showing them how much we were willing to do for ourselves. At the Conference, Dr. Don Bartlette immediately had everyone’s attention with his captivating story. His story made everyone emotional, but was very inspiring and motivational. Some of the other keynote speakers were Dr. Iris PrettyPaint and Waylon Pahona. Dr. Iris PrettyPaint talked about suicide specifically and discussed the correct, people-sensitive terms and phrases regarding suicide. Waylon Pahona talked about leadership and why it’s important to have young leaders in our communities. He also told his life story, talked about his family and how he became the person he is now. Some of the workshops involved domestic violence, AODA, QPR, and understanding mental health. After the workshops ended we finished the conference by running the Fox Cities Relay Marathon in Appleton, Wisconsin. We had 7 teams running for suicide prevention, which was our positive way to continue spreading our message. I gained enough knowledge from the conference that I feel confident enough to pass on what I now know to others. I also learned a lot from the other youth that attended the conference: the Gila River youth group from Arizona, LCO and Menominee Nation youth. The research I’ve done, positive coping skills learned and the conference itself has helped give me a better understanding of how to stay positive and focused Left to Right: Aliyah Cloud (Pac Haci Youth Council President), Dr. Don Bartlette, Dr. Iris PrettyPaint, Waylon Pahona and Lauren WhiteEagle on what I want for my future as well as the (Pac Haci Youth Council Secretary). knowledge to possibly save a life. 3 Boys & Girls Club Opens on the Colville Reservation In May, The Boys and Girls Club of Snohomish County partnered with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to open a new Club within the Inchelium community, located on the Colville Reservation in northeast Washington State. The new Club features an exceptional amount of resources for honing important life skills and developing new interests and hobbies including a gymnasium, game room, computer lab and a multi-purpose room. The Boys & Girls Club of Inchelium becomes the second Native American Boys & Girls Club in Washington State. For more information on the Inchelium Club, click here. Grant Provides School Supplies for 800 Native Students in Milwaukee The Milwaukee Indian Education Committee, a local nonprofit, held their annual school supply drive on August 5, 2015 in Milwaukee, WI. In years past, the committee managed a steady $2,000 budget used for school supplies, food and clothing and future drives. This year, the Potawatomi Foundation – established by the Potawatomi tribe to assist charitable organizations, among other objectives – granted the committee $20,000 that will directly contribute to 800 Native students’ education. For the full story, click here. To learn more about the Potawatomi Foundation, visit here. Tule River Tribe Opens Own School The Tule River Tribe of California opened its very own culturally and linguistically based school, the Towantis School, at the start of the 2015-16 school year. The Towantis School currently has 37 enrolled students grades K-3, with overall goals of students outperforming their public school peers in reading, math and English and expanding to more grades in the future. To visit the Tule River Tribe Education Department webpage, click here. 4 Northern Cheyenne’s Chief Dull Knife College Hosts 18th Annual Language Immersion Camp On July 31, Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC) of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeast Montana concluded its 2015 Cheyenne Language Immersion Camp. The camp, which has been held each summer for the past 18 years, included two weeklong sessions with 20 students each – one for students ages 5-10 and the other for students 11-18. Throughout the week students were only spoken to in the Cheyenne language, while being exposed to an array of traditional ceremonies and practices, including proper use of tobacco and preparation of clothes for prayer; smudging; an introduction to drumming, singing, and beadwork; conducting a water ceremony after field-tripping to a local lake; and indulging in drymeat and chokecherry pudding. Tribal leaders were pleased with the youth turnout, but also stated the need for more male participants – and role models –in the future. The future is especially notable for Native language immersion efforts as the State of Montana recently passed a law in May of this year to continue supporting such efforts, backed by additional funding. To learn more about CDKC, visit here. To learn more about MT’s language immersion law, click here. Osage High School Students Receive Community College Credits, Hold Immersion Classes for Children The Osage Nation Education Department in Hominy, Oklahoma partnered with Tulsa Community College (TCC) to host college classes for high school students and community members. The partnership began three years ago, and this year’s August enrollment grew to 70 students. High school juniors and seniors from Pawhuska, Hominy, Woodland, Barnsdall, Cleveland and Wynona receive basic college credits for $36.75 a class, and are also eligible for scholarships to assist with class and book costs. This is a huge cost savings to the parents and a wonderful opportunity for the students to begin their college careers. Many of the students attending are leaders at their schools, including class valedictorians and salutatorians.