American Indian youths pitch ideas to improve community
ONAMIA - Effective after-school programs, sensitivity training for schoolteachers and administrators, and volunteer opportunities are what Minnesota Indian youths need and want, according to 75 youths from Minnesota tribes who met Thursday and Friday for the first Minnesota American Indian Youth Summit.
The summit included Indian Elders, tribal representatives and graduates of the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program who met for two days of closed sessions at Grand Casino Mille Lacs. The summit theme was "The future is what you make it." Until the summit, each tribe has mainly addressed youth health, education, public safety and other related issues on a local basis. The summit captured ideas for youth initiatives that will benefit tribal communities statewide.
"The youth and adults were reminded of our responsibilities as Indian people to give back to our communities and protect our existence, our culture, our language, and our spirituality for the next seven generations," said Rick Smith, director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and co-chair of the youth summit. "We were reminded that because of our resiliency as American Indians, we have survived as nations."
American Indian youths and Elders worked together at the first Minnesota American Indian Youth Summit to brainstorm youth initiatives that will benefit tribal communities statewide.
In their quest for healthy communities, participants cited their initial goals:
More after-school programs and activities at community centers.
Sensitivity training for schoolteachers and administrators.
More volunteer opportunities for youths at nursing homes and day-care centers.
Public school initiatives enabling students to learn about American Indian languages and cultures.
Indian advocates in public schools.
More opportunities for interaction between youths and Elders.
More opportunities for positive interaction between youths and law enforcement officials.
Neighborhood watch programs.
More adult involvement in mentoring opportunities.
"No one understands the needs of Indian youth better than the youth themselves," said Jim Krile, director of the Blandin Foundation's leadership programs. "Their recommendations must be taken seriously and we will do what we can to advance them."
The summit was a collaboration of the Mille Lacs Band and Blandin Foundation, which operates the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program. This program was initiated in 2000 to support leadership capacity-building among seven of the state's 11 tribes.
In the summit's closing comments, event emcee Dr. Kathy Annette assured the youths that their comments and recommendations had not fallen on deaf ears. Annette is a White Earth Band member and director of the Indian Health Service's Bemidji Area.
Annette said a report and recommendations of the summit will be summarized into a document that will be presented to all participants and to the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. The summit planning team and the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program Advisory Committee will meet in the coming months to review the report and determine next steps.
Tribal Elders, leaders and members who spoke at the summit included:
Les Gibbs, a Red Lake Nation member and mental health therapist at Red Lake High School, who emphasized the inherent strength and courage of Indian youths.
Kevin Jensvold, chairman of the Upper Sioux Community, who stressed the vitality and importance of culture, family and spirituality.
Sam Moose, Mille Lacs Band commissioner of Health and Human Services, who encouraged youths to "be as creative as possible" and to "think about how improvements in one area can help us make progress in other areas."