Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This submission of the final report is in order to administratively close out the project.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Leech Lake Tribal College is located on the Leech Lake Reservation, which is in north-central Minnsota, approximately 235 miles north of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 100 miles south of the Canadian border. It is a rural area covering approximately 1,000 square miles (640,000 acres). There are approximately 300,000 aces of lakes, 120,000 acres of wetlands and 260 miles of rivers and streams within the reservation boundaries. The reservation in larger in size than the state of Rhode Island. According to the 2010 US Census, the total population of Leech Lake Reservation is 10,660. Twenty-eight percent are under 18 years old and 15.5 percent are 65 or older. Forty-eight percent of the population on the reservation identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native alone or in combination with one or more race. The median age is 39. According to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Enrollment Office, Leech Lake Reservation enrollment has 4,132 members. The reservation is overlaid across four Minnesota counties: Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. Eleven communities make up the reservation. Most communities are very small (less than 100 residents) adn isolated. Local Indian Councils (LICs) provide community organization, information and a voice for concerncs. The smaller communities have facilites for community events and services such as medical clinics and progrmas for elders. There are 11 communites within the reservation that Leech Lake Tribal College is attempting to serve: Ball Club, Bena, Cass Lake, Cass River, Inger, Onigum , MIssion, Smokey Point Sugar Point, Oak Point and S. Lake. The unemployment rate in Cass County during in the year 2014 ranged from 10.6% in January and is now at 8.1% as of April. According to the Minnesota Department of health, Minnesota is amoung the states with the greatest gap of health status disparity between whites and African Americans, American Indians, and other groups. American Indians and populations of color in Minnesota are at a greater risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, stroke, chemical dependency, diabetes, homicies, suicides and HIV/AIDS. Our goal is to serval all communities within the reservation, including those who live in bordering towns. We provide individuals, families and teh community with cultural, sustainable, technical and informational classes and events. One of the goals fo the great is to offer cultural classes that keep Ojibwe traditions alive, with the hopes of the participants becoming the teachins in their communities, while restoring cultural activities that have become lost arts. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? CPR/First Aid and First Responder classes were offered. Classes were held on campus with many in attendance including local police, fire fighters, teacher and community members. Computer literacy classes wereheld, Basic Computing and Microsoft Word Refresher, to help students, community member and especially Elders in learning how to use a computer, set up email accounts, create documents, and use the internet. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Information on classes is publlished in the local paper, radio,through Leech Lake Tribal College's newsletter, through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and blogs). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The biggest accomplishement was the construction of a large community garden on campus. The garden consists of 20, 4x10 raised garden beds, 12 apple trees, lilac bushes (used and windbreaks), and three in-ground garden plots for medicine wheel gardening and a three sisters garden. The Cradleboard Project was an excellentworkshop that the community loved. Two artists from the Twin Cities came to campus and devoted their time to teach participants the important history of the Ojibwe cradleboard, using their own son as an example of how a cradleboard baby develops skills (ie walking, talking) at an earlier age compared to non-cradleboard infants. Community members learned how to sand and bend boards, basic sewing skills to make the cradle bag, and then used their own creative abilities to decorate the board. Some chose to do elaborate beadwork while others drew, painted or used woodburning tools to express themselves. All the participants were extrememly happy with the outcome. One of the participants is a teacher at a local Ojibwe immersion school and will use her cradleboard in the classroom for teachings. Basic computing classes have been requested by many members of the community and we were able to meet those needs by hosting some basic computing and Microsoft Word Refresher courses. Soapmaking was a huge success this year and the classes filled up so fast we had to add an extra classes to accomodate. This has been a community favorite and they have been asking for more. Other classes offered include: Ojibwe star quilting, pottery, Native flute lessons, Couch to 5k running program, basic home repair, drum and dance, stone carving, beaded jewelry, hand drum making, bootcamp fitness, yoga, collage art, intro to GPS and GIS, Pysanky egg decorating, glass bead making, wellness taking circles, andCPR/First Aid and First Responder.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Leech Lake Tribal College is located on The Leech Lake Reservation , which is innorth-central Minnesota, approximately 235 miles north of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 100 miles south of the Canadian border. It is a rural area covering approximately 1,000 square miles (640,000 acres). There are approximately 300,000 acres of lakes, 120,000 acres of wetlands and 260 miles of rivers and streams within the reservation boundaries. The reservation is larger in size than the state of Rhode Island. According to the 2010 US Census, the total population of Leech Lake Reservation is 10,660. Twenty-eight percent are under 18 years old and 15.5 percent are 65 or older. Forty-eight percent of the population on the Reservation identify as AI/AN alone or in combination with one or more other races. The median age is 39.0. According to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Enrollment Office, Leech Lake Reservation Enrollment is 4,132 enrolled members. The reservation is overlaid across four Minnesota counties: Cass (the largest area), Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. Eleven communities make up the reservation. Most communities are very small (less than 100 residents) and isolated. Local Indian Council or LIC’s provide community organization, information and a voice for concerns. The smaller communities have facilities for community events and services such as medical clinics and programs for elders. Threre are eleven communities within the reservation that Leech Lake Tribal College is attempting to serve: Ball Club, Bena, Cass River (aka Pennington), Cass Lake, Inger, Onigum, Mission, Smokey Point, Sugar Point, Oak Point and S. Lake. The unemployment rate during the first six months of 2012 in Cass County varied from a high of 11.6% in January to 7.8% in July. As the chart also shows, unemployment in Cass County historically trends higher than the rest of Minnesota and of the nation. Rates on the reservation are estimated to be substantially higher than the county rates based on Census data for the number of those in the labor force who are employed. According to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Minnesota is among the states with the greatest gap of health status disparity between whites and African Americans, American Indians, and other groups. American Indians and populations of color in Minnesota are at greater risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, stroke, chemical dependency, diabetes, homicides, suicides, unintentional injuries, and HIV/AIDS. Our goal is to serve all communities within the reservation including those who live in bordering towns. We provide individuals, families and the community withcultural, sustainable, technical and informational classes and events.One of the goals of the grant is to offer cultural classes that keep Ojibwe traditions alive, with the hopes of the participants becoming the teachers in their communities, whilerestoring cultural crafts that have become a lost art, such as canoe building and sweetgrass basketry. Changes/Problems: Theresignation of the past Project Director led to a brief interruption in programming and resulted in some carryover funds. No further impact from this is expected, and the rest of the program implementation went as planned. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? CPR/First Aid, First Responder and First Responder Refresher were all offered to the community. Classes were held on-campus with many in attendance including local police, fire fighters, teachers and community members. Financial Literacy classes were provided to LLTC students as part of a Study Skills course, as well as to community members. Computer literacy classes were offered to help commuinty members, especially Elders, in learning how to use a computer. They also learned how to use Microsoft Word, set up an email account and how to use the internet. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Reports on classes are often included in the LLTC newsletter and annual report, and they are also disseminated via LLTC's social media and other outlets. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Spring Gardening Summit was a big component in teaching community members to be self sustaining. We had a hands-on, raised bed building class so people would be able use that knowledgeto go home and make their own gardening beds. We covered seed-saving and how to gather and store the seeds. Kitchen gardening taught us how to use small containers indoors to prolong the growning season on herbs commonly used in cooking. Hands-on canning class show participants, many which had never canned before, how to safely and easily can pickles, greenbeans and how to make grape jelly. We were also given a book of recipes on how to can many other vegetables. We brought in a local farmer to show participants how to graft apple trees and eventually planted those tree on campus. Healthy cooking classes were taught at on-campus and also at the local High School. These classes showed participants that cooking healthy is easier than you think. The comments from the class were positive and many request were made to offer more classes such as this. We also focused on exercise by offering a Couch to 5k program for the community. We had about 25 participants attend, for which we all trained to run in a local 5k that was being held for Relay for Life. Of the 25 participants, only 4 of us went on to run the 5k. Becuase of this class there has been an interest in starting a community running club, which was implemented Fall 2013. Other classes that were offered include: beginner, intermediate and advanced quilting classes, sweetgrass basketry, pottery, woods, water and wildlife, Native flute lessons, baby moccasin making, pow wow dance steps, birch bark canoe building project, collage art, basic computer skills, egg decorating, wellness talking circles, glass bead making, ladies singing and hand drum class, hand drum making, stone carving, ricing and black ash basketry.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: LLTC's extension service provides activities for youth, farmers/gardeners, and families resource development and education programs that are grounded in Anishinaabe perspectives and values. There is a particular interest in health, nutrition, and cultural activities. LLTC developed on campus community teaching garden where community members helped plant, weed and water the garden, and many helped in harvesting nutritious, organic foods. LLTC was also able to put on our first "Spring Gardening Summit." This free two day community event included topics such as composting/soil building; seed saving and heirloom seeds, seed starting, a forest walk for edible plant identification and medicines, a local foods presentation and demonstration, raised garden beds- a hands on "how-to" class, introduction to permaculture, basic gardening, grasses, and a Q and A panel session. Also, to help community members get started we had a community seed give away where over one hundred fifty individuals, families, and community gardeners were able to start gardens this year. It was especially beneficial as seed prices were on the rise limiting more families in our impoverished communities to have access to this sustainable activity. Gardeners were further supported through extension by referring those with questions to gardening experts. This year USDA's Leech Lake Reservation Food Distribution got in on the action and helped disseminate seeds to needy families who are recipients of this food program. LLTC worked with UND to grow sweet grass on campus which will be used for traditional crafts and ceremonial purposes. We also provided information about how and when to collect balsam boughs. LLTC worked with the U of M's Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities program to provide classes that focused on business and marketing strategies to help community members learn new ways to produce income through alternative enterprises. LLTC offered classes that are grounded in Anishinaabe perspectives and values and focused on traditional and contemporary skills as well as with financial literacy programs. A free tax preparation clinic was offered under the auspices of AARP. This clinic was open to everyone. Financial literacy programs were provided for LLTC students as part of the College Study Skills course, as well as to community members such as to job club participants, Youth build, and employees. Traditional and cultural classes included but, was not limited to, adult moccasin making, sweet grass basketry, black ash basketry, hand drum making, boys drum group, stone carving, pottery, native flute, baby moccasins, storytelling, girls powwow dance class and etiquette. Contemporary programs such as quilting, healthy diets and lifestyle, and consumer sciences were also offered. With the emphasis on health and weight loss, a sixteen week weight loss challenge was commenced with supporting elements such as daily encouragement and weekly healthy recipes, and weekly health information. Classes such as yoga, zumba, and circuit were offered. LLTC continues to survey our reservation communities to see what their needs are and their responses to activities and events. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals who worked on the project were Juanita Reopelle, Director, Community and Continuing Ed./P.D. The PD supervises and is responsible for the coordination of the TCEP program as well as ensure the sustainability and growth of the program and the department as a whole. She provides grant reporting and administrative responsibility to NIFA. The overall department reflects a comprehensive core of activities and educational programs designed to assist individuals, families and communities in becoming healthy, productive, financially secure, and environmentally responsible. She will meet with the Local Indian Councils and other stakeholders to report progress and ask for input on the program. Amy Erickson, Project Coordinator assists in the day-to-day operations of the TCEP. She is responsible to coordinate a broad spectrum of community-based activities, keep accurate records and monitor budgets and make recommendations for program improvement. Collaborators and contacts include: American Cancer Society, Rail River Folk School-local foods, University of North Dakota-grasses, University of Minnesota-Small business education, Leech Lake Department of Resource Management-environmental information, Crazy Rooster Farms-permaculture presentation, State Wide Health Improvement Program-community garden connection, AmeriCorps Vista-planning committee and educator, and Leech Lake Green Team-provided presentation on composting. Several of our collaborators were on the Spring Summit Planning committee. All of our classes are taught by knowledgeable community members. We have a growing list of knowledgeable, reliable, individuals who impact their community in a meaningful way. TARGET AUDIENCES: Leech Lake Tribal College as a 1994 Land Grant Institution proposed to build and strengthen the capacity to provide individuals, families, and the community with extension education, outreach and technical assistance. The capacity funding for which we were granted is used to support our entire extension offices' efforts to make a sustainable impact on the community's needs. The poverty rate on the Leech Lake Reservation as of 2010 is over 30% and the unemployment rate is 30.9%. Poverty contributes to a number of social problems, including alcohol and drug addiction, inadequate housing, and a myriad of other social problems. Health is also severely impacted manifesting in epidemic rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver disease and obesity. Outside agencies have been ineffective in addressing changes in lifestyle, diet and behavior given the cultural difference in approach and perspective. It is important that the Leech Lake Tribal College sustainable Living Program, located within the Office of Community and Continuing Education, continue to provide access to culturally appropriate information and programs that will address these important needs. The impact of poverty in our community requires our extension office to strengthen our capacity and provide multiple programs to address the needs of our community. All of our efforts will be to address the needs of the community. The needs are overwhelming and it will take more than one organization or institution to address them alone. Therefore are working collaboratively with Leech Lake's Tribal programs, Community Members, the University of Minnesota, Cass County Extension, Rail River Folk School, and the Health Divisions-Statewide Health Improvement Program and others who are listed in the participants section. Our communities see the extension office to meet the needs of the Anishinaabe people and continue to seek us as a way to reach more people. We have request to help resurrect dying art such as quill work and wood burning which are not only good for the soul but could be a source of income for skilled artists. And also address emotional needs by having a community member lead talking circle. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The combination of the gardening topics, hands on activities, resources and training gave community members tools to be more self-sufficient, relying more heavily on their own locally grown food sources, as well as opportunities to learn how to turn their knowledge into profitable small businesses. Our community is saturated with great artists struggling to sale their wares and services. However, through the training individuals receive through extension we sometimes get to see students blossom and turn their passions into profits. Two such examples that we have seen this year are: An adult male student who took the stone carving class offered through extension turned his projects into cash, he sold his first project for $2,000 and sold his second project for an undisclosed amount even before finishing it. He plans to continue carving. A woman who took a flute class by the primary instructor started playing in the community and became so good at it that she now teaches Native flute for the extension program. The community garden seed project helped support approximately 150 gardens which will ultimately impact the health and wellbeing of our communities who have limited access to fresh local foods and are who are riddled with health disparities including diabetes especially amongst our AI population.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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