Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience for this project included primarily Native American youth between the ages of 14-21 living on or near the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation in Hayward, WI. Many of the youth are considered at risk and come from low-income homes. The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College is located in northwest Wisconsin, approximately 85 miles southeast of Duluth, Minnesota. The Lac Courte Oreilles Band (LCO) of Lake Superior ChippewaTribal enrollment totals nearly 7,000 members, of which 60% live on the LCO reservation in 23 different community villages. The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCOOCC) Youth Development (YD) Program's aim is to offer programming focused on promoting language and cultural preservation which will stimulate youth to engage in activities designed to strengthen tribal sovereignty and contribute to the vitality of Lac Courte Oreilles and other tribal communities. Activitiesfoster traditional teachings to nurture youth in their quest to find their identity as Ojibwe people.Educational efforts were shared through online social media outlets to share our experiences with youth beyond our reservation borders. Program effortswere also shared within the Teen Leadership Community of Practice through the Cooperative Extension System's eXtension system.The goal is to cultivate young leaders who will be capable of promoting tribal sovereignty through language preservation, cultural activities, and community service. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Ogiimaakaw Summer Camp is designed to provide leadership skills to high school aged students. As stated above the goal is for the student to acquire work readiness skills in areas of team building, communication, completing applications; while engaging in cultural activities such as basketry, wigwam building, and beadwork. The program hosted a Youth Summit and invited other area tribe's youth councils. There were 25 youth who attended the information sessions on college success, substance abuse survival, etc.; 60 youth attended the evening activities of beading, basketball, and a hip hop concert. Four youth council members attended the Generation Indigenous Challenge in Albuquerque, NM on April 23, 2015. The YD Coordinator and 1 youth council member attended Today's Native Leaders Youth Leadership Training. This training guided youth councils through the planning process to develop a community service project in their communities. Recipes for Success Training for high school students hosted by James Anderson was held March 17 and 18, 2016; 19 students attended from both Hayward and LCO High Schools. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been shared with the communities via a LCO Youth Council facebook page as well as on the LCOOCC Extension facebook page and website. Monthly updates are also shared with the Board of Regents for LCOOCC and community stakeholders via reports. Photos and videos that are taken during events are then used to create short educational video clips on exercising treaty rights; these videos are then shared via social media platforms to reach a broader audience. 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 LCOOCC Youth Development Program offered many programs aimed at promoting language and cultural prservation to stimulate youth to engage in activities that will strengthen tribal sovereignty and contribute to the vitality of the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe. Under Objective 1: Enhance vitality and well being of reservation community by engaging youth in activities fostering leadership skills and Objective 2: Promote cultural education and language preservation There were many activities that engaged youth through the Youth Development program at LCOOCC. The program oversaw, recruited, and assisted the LCO Youth Council. The Youth Council met weekly to bi-weekly throughout the school year. This group has received training on robert's rules of order, take minutes, has elected officers and assists with many community events throughout the year. On average 10-15 high school aged youth participated in Youth Council during this 2 year grant cycle. The LCO Youth Council also hosted an "at risk" music program at the WOJB radio station 2 times per month. The students learned how to operate equipment and received training on radio broadcasting. LCO Youth Council also assist and attend Sober Saturday events which are held at the LCO Boys & Girls Club; these events are held and provide a venue for students to participate in healthy activities; on average35-50 youth attend these bi-monthly events. Some of the community events that the students volunteer at during the year include: Sobriety Pow-Wow, Honor the Earth Pow-Wow, Community Halloween Party, Spook out at the Hideout, Christmas for Kids giveaway, Native Vote Hip Hop Show, Tiny Tot Halloween Dance, Moccasin Making at the Reserve Elderly Center, Honor the Hip Hop Event, Community Prom (75 youth), and planning the Youth Summit for April, 2015. The LCO Youth Councilaccepted the Generation Indigenous Challenge Initiative from the White House (http://www.cnay.org/Challenge.html). Four youthattended the nationwidesummit on 4/23/15 in Albuquerque, NM. Planning and coordinating a Youth Summit was the project they chose to work on for this challenge.Another project they chose to host was a Youth Forum for LCO Tribal Governing Board candidates, this occurred on May 27, 2015. The LCO Youth Summit was held on April 25, 2015 which included discussions on substance abuse survival, college success, team building, careers in the music industry, bullying and living from the heart. Twenty-five yoth attended the informational sessions during the day and 60 youth attended the evening activities. Evening activities included a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, beading, Ojibwemowin bingo, and a hip hop concert. Activities that provided youth experience in exercising their treatyrights includedpartnerships with the area schools (Hayward, Waadookodaading, and LCO Schools) which allowed 232 youth during the 2 year grant to participate in a hands-on day of gathering wild rice. Other activities that occurred on site at the school included demonstrations on parching, winnowing, and thrashing the rice. The student then shared their rice at the back to school parent's night. During the winter spearing sessions were held with the youth with 18 youth attending. The group was able to spear 18 walleye.Additional activities that took place were storytelling events and regalia making. The regalia making was a series of workshops which mentored and provided supplies for 10 high school aged youth to make individual regalia. The summer camp Ojiimaakaw or To Be a Leader programs goal is for students to gain work readiness skills in areas of team building, communication, creating resumes and cover letters, completing applications, service learning, conflict resolution, stress management, time management, and following policies and procedures. In addition to these skills students also engage in cultural activities such as making hand drums, gathering birch bark to make baskets, and constructing a wigwam. Over the course of the 2 years 43 high school students participated in this 6-9 week program.
Publications
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