Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:In-and-out of school environment, and summer STEM programming will engage both the middle school and high school youth in hands-on learning activities with Anishinaabeg STEM professionals from the White Earth Nation and University of Minnesota communities. Older teens will apply the STEM Learning they have acquired through this programming, to teach out to younger youth and share with the community. Changes/Problems:We requested a no-cost extension to allow us until August 31, 2025 to complete the grant project. There are several reasons for our need for more time. First, following COVID, many of our youth programs have struggled to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels of engagement. This is especially true in the White Earth community and for our White Earth 4-H program. Additionally, after the award was received, our relationship with a key member of the partner school changed. This person was to be one of the Teen Coordinators. And with the current job market being one that favors job seekers, we have found it difficult to hire Teen Coordinators in this community. Second, personnel issues with the Principal Investigator have slowed down spending on the grant significantly. The change in PI allowed us to continue with the project and programming has significantly increased as outlined in the Sections above. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Great Lakes Indigenous Farming Conference (GLIFC) White Earth 4-H Staff and Teen Mentor Staff took two teens to Honor the History, Culture and Harvesters of Manoomin, Professional and Community night in the Rice Lake Community, hosted by UofM, WETCC Ext, and White Earth Nation, to discuss with seasoned/professional and life long wild rice harvesters from the Local tribal community. White Earth 4-H Staff and Teen Mentor Staff took two teens to the Fond Du Lac Manoomin Psin Knowledge Symposium - November, 2023. A two day symposium hosted by the Fond Du Lac Tribe with partnership of University of Minnesota, to bring professionals together to learn about all things Wild Rice including health of the plant, health of the lakes and rivers in Minnesota, climate change, invasive species, traditional knowledge of wild rice and much more. Youth were able to attend sessions, network, learn from professionals in the field, and see themselves in a professional STEM environment related to a major traditional and natural food source for Anishinaabeg and others. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Canoe Build was featured in the University of Minnesota Extension's Youth Development Insight https://extension.umn.edu/youth-development-insight/buffalo-4-h-project The Canoe was displayed in the 4-H Building at the Minnesota State Fair for the duration of the Fair (10 days). Youth who participated in the canoe build gave a presentation on their experience in the 4-H Building; audience members included the Extension Dean, Department of Youth Development Associate Dean, State program staff and other 4-H Youth A video presentation that outlines the 12-day canoe building process is published at this site: https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/t/1_j0s2rx19 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Wild Rice Camp - Fall White Earth Tribal 4-H Winter Camp: anticipating 60-75 youth and 15-20 parents/guardians and adult volunteers, Cultural experiences include fishing, smoking and preserving fish, as well as traditional crafts, games, foods, language and storytelling. White Earth Tribal 4-H Maple Sugar Bush Camp: 25-30 youth and sufficient number of adult volunteers with overall leadership provided by 4-H PC Dana Trickey. Camp stretches over the course of 3 to 4 weeks in the spring with youth visiting the site several times to tap, collect and process sap into syrup. Berry Camp - Camps done in partnership with other White Earth tribal entities with partners sharing staff time, program expenses. Youth will present at the Great Lakes Indigenous Farming Conference (GLIFC) You want to learn how to make Black Ash Baskets, a traditional and cultural form of basketry in the summer. Other hopeful projects are community gardening and building of raised garden bed boxes, for community use, in the community garden at White Earth Tribal and Community College in Mahnomen, MN. Wood and supplies have been donated by another community donor.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Youth wanted to focus heavily on STEM related to traditional Anishinaabeg food systems, including traditional harvesting practices, traditional knowledge, seasonal growing, and making traditional harvesting and processing tools for this learning. White Earth 4-H Staff and Teen Mentor Staff taught several learning sessions for youth in learning natural/seasonal cycles of woodland plants; plant and tree identification; and wild food and traditional medicine harvest. In the winter of 2023-24 the teens expressed interest in learning about traditional fishing and processing techniques. They decided they wanted to build a fish smoker. We worked with them to design it, then purchased the supplies, and they built their fish smoker. Towards the end of the project, a few younger youth joined us, and the older youth helped them learn how to build the project. Some of the critical decisions to be made were, size, movability, appropriate materials, safety, etc. This project was great for building their planning (blueprint), math, and engineering skills. In January 2024, the teen showcased and tried out their smoker at the 8th Annual Cultural Winter camp, hosted by White Earth 4-H each session. There they were able to teach younger youth the process, and about what they learned, and showcase it to the White Earth community. Later in early spring 2024, youth learned how to clean sucker fish, and harvest Maple syrup/sugar from the Maple trees; another opportunity to showcase the fish smoker for families and community. At the Great Lakes Indigenous Farming Conference (GLIFC), White Earth 4-H, March 7th-10th, hosted Revitalizing Our Recipes: Cooking with What We've Got Cook-Off (Aka "Native Chopped")! This Event has become a real hit at the conference! Working in teams, teens partnered with younger youth and developed recipes using ingredients from a pantry of foods found in Native communities (garden veggies, wild foods, and Government issued commodities). Once the cooking is done, youth present their dishes to the conferences' international audience, and share the challenge they were given, and what they incorporated to make their meals healthy, tasty, and creative. 3 adults (I, 1 part-time staff, and 1 volunteer) brought 5 youth to attend the conference, and 6 additional youth at the conference joined in programming. Each year, we get a few new enrollments from this program. This program challenges the youth in decision-making, leadership, teamwork, problem solving, time management, and more. It gives them a great showcasing opportunity, in front of an international audience; and gives them shadowing experience of a professional working conference in the areas of Indigenous foods, farming, and other job fields. It's a great partnership, showcasing, and marketing piece for our program, so that Native International communities know we are in White Earth, and doing great work with youth. From March 2024 - June 2024, White Earth 4-H Staff, Teen Mentor Staff, Alumni 4-H Volunteers, and Teen Mentees in the program participated in several full learning days in the woods, harvesting supplies to build a 15 ½ foot Ojibwe Longnose Birchbark Canoe. This style of canoe, the youth learned, is a specific design for harvesting wild rice, which the youth practiced harvesting in the fall, and plan to use for food harvest in the future. The Canoe build was held over 12 full days in June. Younger youth also joined the Canoe Crew team, in learning from the teens and Cultural STEM Professionals teaching the skills. Over 250 people attended the canoe build in the 12 days, from school-summer programs, neighboring 4-H programs, community members, and families. It was a great learning experience, where youth learned highly skilled traditional Engineering techniques, practiced math and science skills, even Natural Science (chemistry) of working with Birchbark, Cedar, spruce root, and more. Traditional/cultural wild food and some cooking was also incorporated into the 12-day camp. Teen Mentees in the program, along with White Earth 4-H Staff and Teen Mentor Staff, then traveled to the 2024 National 4-H True Leaders in Equity Institute in Bathesda, MD to attend the week-long youth conference to learn about Equity and Leadership. Teens had submitted earlier in the year, a proposal to be presenters, and were approved. They presented to peer 4-Hers from around the country, on their STEM projects of cultural/traditional Anishinaabeg food learning, Fish Smoker build, Wild Rice learning, and Canoe build. The presentation was a great accomplishment, and showcasing-experience of their indepth learning. WAMS - Birchbark Canoe on Lake Day, July 31st, 3 adults (staff/volunteers), 1 teen, 2 youth met at the lake to take the canoe on the water and learn paddling and safety. While there, 50 B & G club kids showed up to swim, and we were able to show them our project. In the fall of 2024, the Canoe Crew of White Earth 4-H Staff, Teen Mentor Staff, Mentees and two younger youth committed to the learning, showcased the Birchbark Canoe at the Minnesota State Fair, presenting on their work and learning to a diverse audience of deans, donors, Extension staff, youth, and eager fair-goers..
Publications
|