Andre's 7 Rules (education)

Andre’s 7 Rules Of Native Education

These rules are my reflections after having worked in Native Education at all levels (parent, teachers aid, bus driver, high school teacher, head start teacher and administrator, college instructor, principal, and tribal education director). They are written to an audience of supplemental Indian Education programs. I have modified them and added to them over the years as I continue to learn and find other successful practices and programs. As has been demonstrated, through time and research, the techniques that successfully meet the unique needs of American Indian students are also effective with ANY non-typical learner

 

1.    Do Not Waste Your Money On Tutoring: This is the reason a school exists, to educate our students. If we use limited resources to relive them of this responsibility we are not able to work on broader issues that need to be addressed. Tutoring is a great tool to assist one, and only one, student; but it does not change the core problems that cause them to need tutoring. Use limited resources to be an advocate for all of your students in getting better curriculum, training and staff to work with our students and families. Tutoring can be made available by leveraging resources. Tutors can be paid for by outside resources such as Title 1 & VII, NCLB low performing schools and community learning center grants, Americorps, Peer Tutors, After School Programs, Cross Age Tutors, TANF, Workforce Investment Act funds, Adopt-a- Grandparent, be creative to stretch budgets.

2.    60-80% of Your Students Will Have A Visual Learning Disorder: This means dyslexia, numeric dyslexia, amblyloplia (lazy eye), focusing slowness, blurred and low vision (correctable with lenses) nutritional deficiencies, etc. If student are undiagnosed with these problems they WILL be labeled as discipline problems, or special ed. and will put on a path that gets them further away from having their specific needs met. You need to work cooperatively with IHS clinic, local specialist and the district to identify this as a learning disability and included in an IEP.

3.    Change The System To Meet The Needs Of Students & Families, Not The Opposite: Western Education Models by and large are not the best approach for Native learners. American Indians learn best by visually reinforced teaching methods. Not lecture and copy. Participatory project based thematic instruction works wonders for any child. Unfortunately the focus is put on how teachers and schools systems feel “comfortable” in presenting instruction, which is they way they learned in College, predominately rote drills, written tests, lectures and homework. The copier and laser printer have replaced the ditto machine and mimeographs that all churn out endless streams of materials that are not designed to stimulate children to learn but rather to keep them busy.

4.    90% of the problems In The World Are CAUSED BY A Breakdown in communication: Help your students learn to speak clearly and effectively. This includes active listening which when bundled with decision-making skills, leadership training and internal asset development will get them well on the road to being a student poised to succeed. Helping students develop these internal assets will give them the skills and tools to grow and will help motivate them in school. Students who have fewer of these abilities will make poor choices that will negatively impact success in school. Use strong communication skills yourself. Do not leave things unsaid; seek common understanding of the issues at hand. Communication between the family and the school system will help minimize conflict and confusion. Work to achieve clarity and to promote long-term positive relationships based upon mutual respect and cooperation.

5.    Schools must create, use & SUPPORT culturally appropriate curriculum: An integrated culturally responsive course of study uses materials and resources that link traditional knowledge and culture into the curriculum. The use of tribal art, history, language, geography, literature, and science can infuse the educational experience in relevance that will serve the needs of the Native student. Utilizing community resources such as tribal artists, ceremonial leaders, elders and language teacher to supplement and support the core curriculum will promote greater relevance to and mastery of the information being taught.

6.    THE POWER OF COLLABORATIONS CANNOT BE UNDER ESTIMATED: Much like student study teams cooperative relationships between Indian Education Programs (Title VII, JOM and American Indian Education Centers) School District personnel, Parents Tribes and community agencies will promote the growth and potential success of our students. Together you can create an effective and holistic learning environment. Additionally, many Native students learn best in a cooperative learning environment. Use more small group cooperative learning projects with students that have a variety of skills and strengths (oral presentations, artistic, reading, social etc).

7.    Everyone Should Adopt These Rules: At least consider them in working with students.  The more we can make the education system accessible to all students the more we will be able to direct our limited funds to providing students with additional, tools, resources and programs that will better prepare them for their post-secondary vocational or academic careers.

 

If education systems do not operate with these rules considered Indian students will ultimately be pushed out of school when students drop out or are shunted to “Alternative Education Programs, home study etc we are relieving the system of their duty to educate our students. Work to break down the artificial barriers that impede learning and alienate students and families from the system. My best advice is to listen to your students and families and temper that with your own experience to change the overall system to best serve the needs of your community.

©André Cramblit. andre.p.cramblit.86@alum.dartmouth.org

Tribal Leader A Role Model (profile)

When Karen Diver was a little girl, she was keenly aware of the strong activism of Wilma Mankiller.

As she grew older, the leadership of the former Cherokee Nation chief helped pave the way for Diver and other female American Indian leaders.

“I think she made a lot of us think that it was possible,” said Diver, chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Mankiller, one of the nation’s most visible American Indian leaders and the first woman to lead a major tribe, died Tuesday at her home in Adair County, Okla. She was 64 and had pancreatic cancer.

Mankiller’s first taste of federal policy toward American Indians came when her family ended up in a housing project after a government relocation project. She went on to become a leader who took American Indian issues to the White House and met with three presidents, earning a reputation for facing conflict head-on.

“I admired Ms. Mankiller for her tireless advocacy on behalf of our native people,” said Donna Ennis, co-chairwoman of the Duluth American Indian Commission. “She was able to accomplish so much … and correct some of the myths about native people, but in a gentle way.”

Although there were many female leaders within American Indian communities before Mankiller’s time, she was the first national female leader, Diver said.

As the first female chief of the Cherokees, from 1985-95, Mankiller tripled tribal enrollment, doubled employment and built health centers and children’s programs.

Born Nov. 18, 1945, at an Indian hospital in Tahlequah, Okla., Mankiller moved with her family to San Francisco in the 1950s when their farm failed. The pledge of opportunity turned out to be poverty in a housing project. She married and had two daughters, Felicia and Gina.

In 1969, she got what she called “an enormous wake-up call” and took her first step into activism by participating in the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in protest of a federal policy terminating the government’s recognition of tribal sovereignty.

Mankiller moved back to her family’s land in Oklahoma after getting divorced in 1975. A decade later, she succeeded former Chief Ross Swimmer, who had selected her as his running mate because of her business savvy. During her re-election campaign, she pledged to improve the tribe’s economic interests.

As chief of the Tahlequah-based tribe, Mankiller was less of an activist and more of a pragmatist. She was criticized for focusing almost exclusively on social programs instead of pushing for smoke shops and high-stakes gambling.

“She was really focused on good governance and service to her people,” Diver said. “For that, she was a role model to many of us.”

Mankiller decided not to seek re-election in 1995, and accepted a teaching position at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Among her honors was a Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian award — presented in 1998.

Continual struggles with her health appeared not to deter her. A 1979 car accident nearly claimed her life and resulted in 17 operations. She developed the muscular disorder myasthenia gravis, had a kidney transplant in 1990 and also battled lymphoma, breast cancer and other health problems.

“We feel overwhelmed and lost when we realize she has left us, but we should reflect on what legacy she leaves us,” Cherokee Chief Chad Smith said.

Besides her daughters, survivors include her husband, Charlie Soap, as well as four grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Cherokee Nation Cultural Grounds in Tahlequah.

Dehumanizing (mascot)

What's in a Mascot-words by Claudia Lozano

a state bill forces schools to rethink race-based mascots http://volumeone.org/magazine/articles/1320/Whats_in_a_Mascot.html


Carol Gunderson, member of the Oneida tribe, remembers when she attended high school at Seymour, whose mascot was the “Indians.”

    “(The school) used this name, but kids still wouldn’t sit next to an Indian,” Carol said. “It was very confusing.”

    The school, now called “Seymour Thunders,” is one of 30 in Wisconsin that has changed its race-based name. But according to the Wisconsin Indian Education Association Mascot and Logo Task Force, 36 schools with Indian nicknames and logos still remain.

    Carol is a civil rights activist along with husband Harvey, a white American, and together they have become deeply involved in the fight to change the name of the Osseo-Fairchild Chieftains, who represent their school district. They may soon see that happen.

    Elementary principal for Osseo-Fairchild, Steve Glocke, said their community is split on the issue. “I think if (the school) would ever change its name, it would have to be something done legislatively.”

    On Feb. 25, the State Assembly approved Bill 35, which serves as an alternative complaint process – a springboard for the transformation of a school’s mascot, logo, or nickname. Currently the bill is pending at the senate, but, if passed, any school district resident could file a complaint to the state superintendent about a school logo, nickname, or mascot. The superintendent would then order the school board to stop using it, but only if it’s determined that it promotes discrimination, pupil harassment, or stereotyping.

    Rep. Jim Soletski and Sen. Spencer Coggs introduced the bill, which has existed for about 15 years but never before was able to pass at the state level. The deadline for action on this bill is May 6, but Coggs said he is confident the bill will pass by the end of April.

    “People say ‘What if it’s only one American Indian student that protests?’” Cogg said. “Well, what if Rosa Parks wouldn’t have complained about the bus? She represented a lot of people and this bill is the same idea.”

    The senator added that he doesn’t think people mean any harm when they observe a mascot or logo with the use of an Indian face. “(Mascots) usually have a big head dress; usually it doesn’t connote any American Indian tribe. But many use the eagle feathers and that is considered sacred to American Indians,” Coggs said, referring to their use of feathers in religious rituals.

    “We don’t think anything of (the feather) because we don’t have that religious construct,” Coggs said. “What if we saw a Jesus in the sidelines of a game? We would find that offensive – a mockery of Christian religion. That’s what American Indians are saying.”

    Carol Gunderson took the analogy even further. “What if people would start to sprinkle holy water at a game? They would say they are making fun, a mockery. That’s what these schools are doing.”

    Out of the 36 schools using Indian-based nicknames and logos, we contacted the four nearest to the Chippewa Valley.

Greg Corning, superintendent of the Menomonie High School Indians, said they don’t have a mascot, per se, and they strictly follow the district’s Policy 382, which spells out the use of their logo. This policy states the Indian logo/name will be used “in all ways to preserve and foster the story of the Native American people who were here first, who lived in harmony with nature, and who continue to strive to preserve their cultural heritage … always keeping in mind the use of the logo/name shall portray positive ideas of a people who believe in the attributes of strength, honor, dignity, and pride.” In 1998 students and community members in the Menomonie school district voted to retain the logo and name.

    Glocke said the Osseo-Fairchild Chieftains also follow a strict policy for the use of their mascot, which dictates when and how they use it. “Even though some are still offended by the use, our board members tried to do what they think is appropriate.”

    Superintendent Russell Helland has been with the Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawks for the past seven years, and said the name “Blackhawks” has been endorsed by the community and they “use it proudly.”

    Glocke expressed similar sentiments, saying that some people see the Chieftains as symbolizing pride, honor, and respect. “But there are other people that, for them, it symbolizes a kind of a discriminatory statement based on their American Indian culture,” he said.

    Superintendent and high school principal for the Elmwood Raiders, Adam Zenner, said he’s been in the school for the last three years, and he’s never heard of a request to change the name. “I do know we used to have a full American Indian chief in full dress, but we changed the logo to the ‘E’ with the spear going through it in the mid 90s.”

    According to research done by Dr. Stephanie Fryberg at Stanford University, American Indian students experience lower self-esteem from exposure to ‘Indian’ nicknames and logos, while Euro-American students exposed to these symbols experience a boost in their self-esteem. Also, American Indian students who say they approve the logos experience more psychological harm than students who oppose such symbols.

    “It benefits the racial majority, but harms the targeted minority, which by definition is harmful discrimination based on race,” Harvey Gunderson said, adding the Osseo-Fairchild community is torn on the issue. “We have received anonymous threats in letters and phone calls. It’s tense because there are only three American Indian families that have spoken out. When you are in a community like this and you dare to speak out, there’s a target that goes on you.”

    Opponents to changing school mascots are typically not concerned about the students’ adaptability but their own, according to Gunderson. Most schools have generations of alumni who consider their name to be indispensable tradition.

“Their tradition is to be Indian?” Carol said. “That’s how they seem to identify themselves, not realizing that they are not part of that name anyways.”

    Glocke said Osseo-Fairchild tried to change the name about seven years ago, but that led to a political revolt. “There was a board recall and the name was reinstated,” Glocke said.

    Superintendent Helland said Baldwin-Woodville uses the term of “hawks” more than “Blackhawks,” and he doesn’t see a need to change the name because the mascot instills a sense of school pride.

    “If we changed it to Hawks, then will the animal activists come after us?” Helland said. “I think everyone is happy where things are right now. (The name) is something that is totally up to the community.”

    In Osseo-Fairchild, Glocke said they have talked about changing the school’s name and the way it is used. “If we are forced to change it … it would resolve the issue,” he said. “It may put an end to this [matter] the community has gone through for the last 10 years. [Students] would like this to be over.”

    Zenner said if the legislation were to pass, the Elmwood district would deal with it at that point. “I think that’s the identity of Elwood over the years,” Zenner said. “Change can be difficult, but if legislation were to pass and we are required to change we would make the appropriate changes and move on.”

    Sen. Coggs said people should put themselves in the shoes of American Indians and make these very necessary changes. “They are expressing something that you don’t know anything about,” he said. “(These logos) hit them in personal and often religious ways.”

    Carol Gunderson agreed, reasoning that mascots are typically animals and it is very demeaning to put a race of people in the same category. “What (the schools) are doing is very demeaning and they are doing it in a dehumanizing way. These schools don’t even know the culture. They don’t really care. That’s not their heritage. It is my God-given identity.”

BIA Needs Change (musings)

Experts agree: Bureau of Indian Affairs needs change

By 
JAMES F. SIMERMEYER
 
04/04/2010
 
The worldwide American Indian Workshop took place on March 25, 2010 and included a video-conference, which I moderated between ethno-historians and attorneys in the Czech Republic, and Indian chiefs at Columbia University in New York City.

The consensus from the conference was to take a radical and new approach to Federal Recognition of Indian tribes. At the conclusion of the conference I asked myself, "Was this conference the genesis of modern Indian law for tribes?

Since 1978, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has been charged with determining the credibility of Indian tribes’ request for federal recognition, through its Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA). Since the process began in 1978, 45 tribal applications for federal recognition were processed by the OFA, 16 tribes obtained recognition and 29 tribes were denied recognition. There are over 200 tribal applications currently pending with the BIA. The average wait time for a decision from the OFA is 29 years.

There are seven criteria that must be met by a tribe seeking federal recognition through the BIA. The OFA has teams of three professionals to evaluate each tribe. The teams consist of a genealogist (non-degree), historian and anthropologist. The standard applied by the evaluation team is “reasonable likelihood."

The academics in Prague made short work of the seven criteria used by the OFA and focused on the fact that the standards were not consistent with current academic standards and specifically failed to recognize the significance of kinship models. The Ethno-historians deemed emphasis on blood quantum, rather than kinships by the OFA, as a basic flaw that would conclude subjectively excluding tribes that should be recognized. The panel also discussed the need for qualified experts to determine federal recognition rather than bureaucrats with little or no academic qualifications. A formal recommendation will be made by the panel setting forth the basic academic qualifications such as: doctorate degree, peer review publications and expertise in specific tribal history as opposed to general knowledge about Native Americans.

The legal experts on the panel made it clear that the “reasonable likelihood” standard was ill-defined and failed to meet any legal standard such as preponderance of the evidence (51%). The appeal of any decision based on the “reasonable likelihood” standard would result in confusion rather than certainty and allow “to stand” bureaucratic decisions that are arbitrary and capricious.

Present in New York was Chief Harry Wallace of the Unkechauge Indian Nation, Chief Rev. Donald R. Carter of the Coharie Tribal Nation, and Trudie Lamb Richmond from the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation.
After four decades of being involved in Native American issues, Richmond eloquently expressed the tribal experience with the BIA process:

“We submitted our petition for federal recognition in 1994 after spending tens of thousands of dollars, dealing with the almost impossible seven criteria requirements, with an endless line of lawyers, anthropologists, ethno-historians, archaeologists--all of whom advised how to meet the criteria standards; standards which appeared to be devised to set us up to fail," Richmond said.

Professor John Strong expressed the fundamental problem in the process was that Native American culture was non-literate (oral) and the European culture was literate (written). To require an oral culture to produce documents that relate back to the 1600s is unjust and intended to exclude tribes.
The alternate route is legislative or executive, which requires extensive lobbying that is financially prohibited to tribes that are not affiliated with gaming interests.

The panel agreed that tribes seeking federal recognition must use alternative methods and demand a change in the BIA criteria and evaluation of tribes. The legal experts suggested administrative correction of past injustices by the BIA in excluding tribes from federal recognition based on discrimination.

One example used by legal members of the panel was the refusal of federal recognition to tribes because some members were inter-married with blacks. Another example was the failure of tribal members to meet the physical standards (measurement of head, nose, etc.) set by the BIA. These examples are just a few of the discriminatory actions taken in 1934 by John Collier in the implementation of the Indian Reorganization Act.

The new approach seems to be centered around tribal demands for administrative corrections to past injustices, which will be documented by scholars and enforced by legal experts. This confrontational approach is justified by the historical evidence found in the BIA’s inability to treat native tribes fairly.

Go Lori (profile)

After becoming the first Navajo woman to be board-certified in surgery in 1994, LORI ARVISO ALVORD realized there was a way for her to give back. After completing her training at Stanford University, she returned for six years to the New Mexico reservation where she had grown up, according to the “CHANGING THE FACE OF MEDICINE: CELEBRATING AMERICA’S WOMEN PHYSICIANS” traveling exhibit at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

“I went back to the healers of my tribe to learn what a surgical residency could not teach me. From them, I have heard a resounding message: Everything in life is connected,” Alvord was quoted as saying in 2002.

Alvord’s photo and story are among dozens about female physicians that are displayed through May 12 in “Changing the Face of Medicine” at the SIU medical library (fourth floor), 801 N. Rutledge St. The exhibit is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

The exhibit tells the story of how American women who wanted to practice medicine struggled over the past two centuries to gain access to medical education and to work in the medical specialty they chose. In 1849, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to earn an M.D. degree in the United States.

Exhibit categories include “Making a Difference,” “Fighting for Rights,” “Confronting Prejudice” and “Achieving Breakthroughs.”

Among female physicians credited with medical breakthroughs was VIRGINIA APGAR (1909-74), who in 1952 developed the Apgar score, the first standardized way to evaluate the general health of a newborn baby. The test quickly determines whether the baby will need to be resuscitated.

“Virginia Apgar originally trained as a surgeon, but because other women had been unable to build successful careers in surgery, the chief of the department at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons encouraged her to study anesthesiology instead,” the exhibit notes.

“Apgar studied obstetrical anesthesia — the effects of maternal anesthesia given during childbirth on the newborn baby.”

Obstetrician and gynecologist HELEN DICKENS (1909-2001), who founded a teen clinic for school-age mothers in Philadelphia, was the first African-American woman admitted to the American College of Surgeons.

Other physicians noted in the exhibit include:

• MATILDA EVANS (1872-1935), who founded Taylor Lane Hospital in 1901.

• GERTY CORI (1896-1957), the first U.S. woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In 1947, she and her husband were named joint recipients for their work on the cycle of carbohydrates in the human body.

• Dermatologist NANCY JASSO helped found a tattoo-removal clinic.

Two interactive kiosks traveling with the exhibition offer access to the National Library of Medicine’s “Local Legends” Web site, which has access to educational and professional resources for people considering medicine as a career.

A section of the Web site called “Share Your Story” allows the public to add the names and biographies of female physicians they know. (To add a favorite woman to the roster, click on “Share Your Story” at the online exhibition,www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine.)

Tamara Browning is a columnist and feature writer for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at 788-1534 ortamara.browning@sj-r.com.

NMAI Scholarships (opportunity)

FYI……………. Scholarship opportunity Dead Line May 10, 2010
 
The National Museum of American Indian is pleased to announce a call for entries for the annual Young Native Writers Essay Contest.  Five selected essayists, and the teachers that inspired their participation, will win an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. in July 2010 and a $2,500 scholarship. The contest is open to Native American High School Students enrolled in grades 9-12 only.  Full Info at: http://www.nativewriters.hklaw.com/index.asp

Best Practices Workshop (event)

Dear Native American Youth Providers,

 As a grantmaking organization focused on connecting underserved youth to the outdoors, the Stewardship Council seeks to foster ideas and knowledge exchange to increase capacity and effectiveness of programs in this field. In particular, we have had requests to help facilitate more interaction and dialogue among Native American youth providers to identify best practices, build program capacity, and promote information sharing. To this end, we are organizing a workshop for Native American youth providers that will focus on the unique characteristics and issues of providing quality outdoor experiences for Native American youth. The workshop will be held at the Putah Creek Lodge at UC Davis on April 20th from 9 am to 4 pm.

 

The workshop objectives are to:
·         Identify best practices to sustain and build capacity of Native American outdoor youth programs
·         Foster knowledge, networking, and information sharing among Native American youth providers
·         Increase awareness on ways to improve outdoor programs for Native American youth
·         Discuss ways to improve the cultural relevance of outdoor programs for Native American youth

The workshop will be interactive and hands-on. During the workshop participants will explore the characteristics of effective Native American outdoor youth programs and assess programs to improve and strengthen them. For more details about the workshop, please see the attachment.
The Stewardship Council is convening the meeting with the UC Davis Native American Studies Department as our host.  Since the Stewardship Council’s Youth Investment Program serves youth between the ages of 13-18, the discussion will be focused on this age group; however, the discussion will likely be applicable to younger youth as well.  The workshop is open to all at no cost and lunch will be provided. The deadline to register is noon on April 14th.
If you are interested in participating please send an email, addressing the following questions, to Manav Thapar at mthapar@stewardshipcouncil.org:

  • Contact Information: Name, job title, and organization, email and mailing address.
  • Will you be bringing any other staff? If so, please provide their contact information.
  • Where will you be traveling from?
  • Are you willing to share your program model/design and/or other materials?
For further information, or questions please contact Manav Thapar at (650) 401-2143 or Mary Adelzadeh at (530) 305-7874. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve Hagler
Director of Youth Investment

InterTribal Youth, exists to prepare Native American youth for a brighter future through hands-on life experiences that combine academics, adventure travel, health and wellness, cultural exploration and economic opportunities.

Twinkie New Age Cult (cultural appropriating)

Check out the group's website here:  ttp://www.nanish.org/

Hey Tamra,
Since the leader claimed to be a "Cherokee Medicine Man" the EBC attorney general can get the info to the appropriate people to take legal action no matter where they are on Turtle Island to take legal action against these people.
Dave

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 11:15 PM, NDN News <Tamra@ndnnews.com> wrote:

Hey everyone,

Looks like a twinkie newager cult to me. They are mixing all kinds of things. Looks like another group like Brooke Medicine Eagle’s camps.

Not sure what EBC has to do with this one, these folks are in Oregon.

Everyone now days has to make a buck of culture and traditions, it never seems to end.

I will send it to Mo and Graywolf, see if they want to do something with it.

Hope everyone is doing well. I’m working like crazy 60-70 hr work weeks right now, so barely keeping up with things right now.

Tamra

From: Save The Sacred Sites Alliance [mailto:davidckitchen@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 2:35 PM


To: Marcie; andre cramblit
Cc: tamra
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Website

Hey Folks,

It's Dave I called the Eastern Band of Cherokee Attorney General's Office.

They were interested enough for me to forward it to them.

So I did.

That's about all I know for now. They won't tell me what they did.

They'll just quietly take care of it , if they decide they need to.

Dave

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 2:47 PM, Marcie <catehokte1@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hey sis, check out this site and let me know if any of these people are legit. I doubt it and feel it is another James Ray type deal but before I jump in with a nasty letter, I want to be sure my take was right.

h


Best Practices Workshop (event)

Dear Native American Youth Providers,

 As a grantmaking organization focused on connecting underserved youth to the outdoors, the Stewardship Council seeks to foster ideas and knowledge exchange to increase capacity and effectiveness of programs in this field. In particular, we have had requests to help facilitate more interaction and dialogue among Native American youth providers to identify best practices, build program capacity, and promote information sharing. To this end, we are organizing a workshop for Native American youth providers that will focus on the unique characteristics and issues of providing quality outdoor experiences for Native American youth. The workshop will be held at the Putah Creek Lodge at UC Davis on April 20th from 9 am to 4 pm.

 

The workshop objectives are to:
·         Identify best practices to sustain and build capacity of Native American outdoor youth programs
·         Foster knowledge, networking, and information sharing among Native American youth providers
·         Increase awareness on ways to improve outdoor programs for Native American youth
·         Discuss ways to improve the cultural relevance of outdoor programs for Native American youth

The workshop will be interactive and hands-on. During the workshop participants will explore the characteristics of effective Native American outdoor youth programs and assess programs to improve and strengthen them. For more details about the workshop, please see the attachment.
The Stewardship Council is convening the meeting with the UC Davis Native American Studies Department as our host.  Since the Stewardship Council’s Youth Investment Program serves youth between the ages of 13-18, the discussion will be focused on this age group; however, the discussion will likely be applicable to younger youth as well.  The workshop is open to all at no cost and lunch will be provided. The deadline to register is noon on April 14th.
If you are interested in participating please send an email, addressing the following questions, to Manav Thapar at mthapar@stewardshipcouncil.org:

  • Contact Information: Name, job title, and organization, email and mailing address.
  • Will you be bringing any other staff? If so, please provide their contact information.
  • Where will you be traveling from?
  • Are you willing to share your program model/design and/or other materials?
For further information, or questions please contact Manav Thapar at (650) 401-2143 or Mary Adelzadeh at (530) 305-7874. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve Hagler
Director of Youth Investment

InterTribal Youth, exists to prepare Native American youth for a brighter future through hands-on life experiences that combine academics, adventure travel, health and wellness, cultural exploration and economic opportunities.