January 2017 is a welcome arrival to the PLACE With a New Year comes new goal setting!
One of the main goals for the tribal youth is to learn how harmful alcohol can be to young people. The PLACE staff w ill lead a program called “Be smart, don’t start!” that will provide resources to the youth about the harms of alcohol to people their age.
The tribal youth will learn that they don’t need alcohol to deal with stress or have fun. They’ll also see real life scenarios to encourage them to avoid alcohol use, including learning the consequences of underage drinking.
Another facet of the “Be smart, don’t start!” program will be a methamphetamine prevention aspect, which will have guest speakers from the CPN Tribal Police Department and other departments talking with our participants about preventions and risk factors.
The GET Native Program will continue with its Native wellness program by preparing our next generation for the challenges they’ll face as they grow older. The youth will learn about what healthy relationships look like, see traditional leadership practices and improve decision making by teaching them that they are the creator of their own story.
The Get Fit Program will be especially important after the holidays that were filled with food and fun. Now comes the time to work it off. Prevention Specialist Wilson Littlehead will start the 12 days of fitness program to help prevent our youth from developing practices, both eating and by not exercising, that might cause diabetes. Youth are also gearing up for a volleyball tournament, Indian Football and a disc golf tournament. Keeping their spirits and bodies healthy is important, but our Get Smart Program continues into the second semester by providing a college readiness class. This instruction will teach the students about different college choices and the financial aid process.
The tribal youth will also celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and National Blood Donor’s month this January, so we’ll have a full plate of activities.
If you’d like to learn more about our programs, please reach out to me at dgreene@potawatomi.org or call us at 405-214-5110.