Visions: A Tribal Perspective on Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention
a publication of the National Indian Health Board
Summer/Fall 2013 
In This Issue
 
Spotlight Story: A Traditional Navajo Approach to Meth and Suicide Prevention
 
Project Venture: Building Youth Up So They Won't Fall Down
 
Reentry Series
Part I: The Need for Reentry   
Have You Seen...
  
the SAMHSA toolkit:
Community Conversations About
 Mental Health?
 
  
The Toolkit for Community Conversations About Mental Health
is designed to be a resource to help those interested in holding a community dialogue about mental health. It is comprised of three parts (Information Brief, Discussion Guide, and a Planning Guide) that will help communities and groups plan and facilitate a dialogue about mental health.
 To view and download the toolkit click here.
 

Events:

Webinar Series on Childhood Trauma in Indian Country

Join Dr. Dolores S. BigFoot, Director of the Indian Country Child Trauma Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, on October 30, 2013, 2PM EST, for the fifth in a series of seven webinars exploring the important topic of Childhood Trauma in Indian Country.  The fifth webinar in the series is titled "Honoring Children, Making Relatives."

Attendance at the session provides one hour of continuing education credit.

Click here to connect.

If you have missed sessions in the series, you can access the archived webinars by visiting the Indian Country Child Trauma Center.

  
 
Funding Opportunities:
Community
 Innovation Grants from the Bush Foundation
  
Community Innovation Grants support innovation through community-powered problem-solving: inclusive, collaborative processes focused on making the most of community assets.  This allows communities to develop and test new solutions to community challenges.
Applications open December 2013.
To find out more, click here.

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Mission of the National Indian Health Board

One Voice affirming and empowering American Indian and Alaska Native peoples to protect and improve health and reduce health disparities.

 
About this Publication
This publication features information on suicide prevention, intervention, postvention and methamphetamine prevention, treatment and aftercare.  We welcome your suggestions, questions and comments and invite you to submit materials for future publications.  
Traditional Navajo Approach to Meth and Suicide  Prevention   

The Tsehootsooi Medical Center  Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative (MSPI) uses culture to teach coping skills, build community connectedness, and instill hope and resiliency in those they serve.

 

By using language, culture and tradition, the Tsehootsooi Medical Center   (TMC) MSPI Staff are able to tap into the tremendous strengths already present in the community. Using this strengths-based approach, the MSPI staff members strive to build the protective factors that will help keep those they serve safe from substance abuse and depression.

 

For example, the TMC MSPI project works to develop Navajo cultural programs and curriculums that incorporate Navajo language. These programs reinforce cultural knowledge and practice while also preventing the loss of the language. For those community members unfamiliar with traditional culture, language, and lifestyle, the MSPI community events provide an opportunity to increase the baseline level of traditional knowledge and thus raise the community level of Hozho (balance). Matthew Tafoya, MSPI Community Involvement Coordinator, explained the approach. "We can't fix the past but we can take active steps to present options to people that are based on traditional concepts and thus reconnect the disconnected."

 

Maintaining and restoring language are critical components of preserving the values of culture and the concepts attached to the language. To help realize this goal, TMC MSPI hosts events like the Youth Culture Festival where traditional Navajo ontological concepts like Sa'ah Naaghai Bik'eh Hozhoon can be explained in both English and Navajo.  By exploring the meaning of Sa'ah Naaghai Bik'eh Hozhoon with Elders and those who have held on to cultural knowledge, event participants are introduced to the concept of life as a path or journey to old age, filled with rewards and challenges, which requires thoughtful preparation and life skills, so that challenges can be overcome. The concept of Sa'ah Naaghai Bik'eh Hozhoon also includes the idea that we are the product of our father and mother and we inherit their protection and beauty, which enables us to move forward on our life's journey.

 

Explaining concepts in English allows those who do not know Navajo to connect with the ideas and values embedded in the language. Presenting the concepts in Navajo gives participants the knowledge as it is meant to be transmitted. Events also often include hands-on activities like butchering, pottery, bow guard making, or other traditional activities. By demonstrating these activities, and giving people the chance to experience what their ancestors did hundreds of years ago, the MSPI events are able to foster connections to culture, and foster connections among community members.  

 

"These experiences are important," Mr. Tafoya explained. "Our traditional skills are our shared inheritance. They are the thread that links us to our creation and bind us together as Children of the Holy People.   We believe that traditional knowledge is not complete until it is passed on, and that is part of our job at MSPI -- to build connectedness, resiliency and to instill hope using our traditional teachings."

 

For more information on the Tsehootsooi Medical Center MSPI project, please contact MSPI COmmunity Project Coordinator Matthew Tafoya at [email protected] 

 

Project Venture: Building Youth Up So They Won't Fall Down
 

The National Indian Health Board staff extends appreciation to Mr. McClellan Hall, founder of Project Venture, for agreeing to be interviewed for this article.
 

 

Tribal programs looking for an evidenced-based prevention curriculum have a number of promising options they can choose.  Almost all of these curriculums, however, demonstrate efficacy with general populations - only a very small handful have been designed for, and shown effective with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth.  Project Venture stands out as one of those exemplary AI/AN programs.

 

Given this impressive accomplishment, it may be surprising to learn that Project Venture was not developed to prevent substance abuse in youth.  Instead, the program, from its inception, reflected a strengths-based approach to teaching and guiding young people on their journey to adulthood - a Positive Youth Development approach.  McClellan Hall, past teacher and principal, founder of the National Indian Youth Leadership Project and original developer of the Project Venture curriculum, explained how the model got started.

 

"The program began as part of a Cherokee (Oklahoma) culture camp (in the 1980's). It had an outdoor, wilderness component similar to the Outward Bound program, and also had a service learning component.  Native Elders had a big influence - they emphasized keeping the focus on the positive. The families and the community saw really positive changes in the youth coming to the camp."

 

The overwhelming, positive reception of the camp created enthusiasm for expansion, so the camp model was taken apart and the components were reworked into a year-long program. Mr. Hall took this model back to New Mexico and founded the National Indian Youth Leadership Project (NIYLP).  In 1990, the NIYLP officially named this program Project Venture. They were awarded a five-year High Risk Youth Demonstration Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the full development and testing of the Project Venture model in four Native American communities in New Mexico. "We began replicating in other areas in 1999. Now, we have replication sites in 25 states, many areas of Canada, and 1 program in Europe," Hall noted. 

 

In 2007, Project Venture went through a rigorous review and was deemed an Evidence-based Program by the National Registry of Evidenced-based Programs and Practices (operated by the SAMHSA).

 

Program Specifics

Project Venture requires a pre-startup meeting with replication staff, through a teleconference or in person. "NIYLP sits down with the community and assess the needs, resources, and staffing available that would lend itself to the success and sustainability of the program," Hall explained. The next step is two-day training for prospective staff, either on-site or at the annual Project Venture Gathering in New Mexico.  Mr. Hall and others at the NYLP provide remote and in-person follow-up technical assistance to the replication sites.

 

The year-long model includes four main components: an in-school component, an afterschool component, a weekend component, and a school break component. Using education systems as a platform, Project Venture is able to deliver team building and problem solving sessions during school time, and skill building lessons, preparing youth for more intensive challenge activities, during afterschool sessions. In addition to community service learning projects, the weekend and school break sessions involve day and multi -day outings that engage youth physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally.

 

"The staff works within each of the four components of Project Venture to develop programs in accordance with full value commitment guidelines. The program must be voluntary, and after the staff explains the guidelines, the participants are asked to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to show their understanding and compliance," Hall explained.

 

Full Value Commitment Guidelines

  • Be Here.  Being present without distractions.
  • Be Safe.  Paying attention to physical & emotional safety of self & others.
  • Set Goals.  Setting personal and group goals to strive for.
  • Speak Your Truth.  Sharing opinions and thoughts in a constructive way.
  • Let Go & Move On.  Resolving problems with positive solutions and moving on.

What is unique about Project Venture?

"The key to success of this program lies within its facilitators. Staff must be talented individuals that know how to read body language, understand group dynamics, and engineer activities according to the characteristics of the participants," Mr. Hall explained. Project venture focuses on teaching group based decision making and problem solving, versus the individual based approach used in many traditional school settings. "It is important that staff find ways to include all participants, especially those who tend to shy away from the group," Hall emphasized. The staff is encouraged to alter or modify an activity to fulfill these goals.

 

Project Venture activities are also uniquely geared toward American Indian youth. Various outdoor, community service and cultural activities explore AI/AN cultural values in community connections and spirituality of the natural world. The staff captures these experiences by initiating follow-up conversations. "We talk about what was going on, what lessons could be learned from this activity, and how these things could be applied to real-life situations. After these debriefing activities, kids start applying this transformative thinking on their own," shared Hall. As a continuing presence in the lives of youth and in the community, high school kids are encouraged to come back as camp counselors and youth leaders after graduating from the program.

 

Program Success

Over the life of the program, extensive research and evaluation has proven the effectiveness of Project Venture in strengthening resilience and life skills, promoting positive mental health outcomes, and reducing substance use and other related behaviors.  These outstanding outcomes are reflected in the many awards and recognitions Project Venture has received. 

 

To learn more about Project Venture and how to utilize the program in your community, please visit the National Indian Youth Leadership Project on the web at http://www.niylp.org/index.htm

 

Recognitions and Awards

2000 Project Venture receives Exemplary Program Award. The State of New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Department nominated Project Venture for this prestigious award, based on outstanding evaluation data.

2001 Project Venture receives Promising Program status. The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs identifies Project Venture as a program worthy of replication.

2002 Project Venture receives Effective program status. The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the National Registry of Effective Prevention programs elevates Project Venture to the next level (Effective), based on outstanding evaluation data.

2003 CSAP National Cross-site Evaluation of High Risk Youth Programs finds Project Venture in Top 5 overall and Most Effective of all programs serving Native American populations.

2004 Project Venture named Model Program. Project Venture is the first Native American Model program recognized by CSAP and NREPP.

2005 W.K. Kellogg Foundation recognizes NIYLP as one of their Milestone Programs for the 75th Anniversary celebration of the foundation.

2005 First Nations Behavioral Health Association recognizes Project Venture as one of their Effective Practices and Models for Children of Color.

  
ReEntry: The Need For Reentry Efforts

  

This article is the first in a series that will look at successful reentry strategies with a special focus on offenders with a history of substance abuse, including meth use.  The National Indian Health Board will run this series in the Visions newsletter on a quarterly basis. 

 

Over the last several years, many corrections facilities nationwide have faced budget cuts leading to closures and severe overcrowding. Those serving American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) populations have been particularly hard hit. Overcrowded facilities and high prisoner to guard rations are associated with higher rates of internal violence. Lack of funding also limits detention healthcare and rehabilitation programs, including those specifically geared toward AI/AN's. Policy makers for some systems have sought to address funding shortfalls by releasing lower risk offenders.  When added to offenders already slated for release, some communities are seeing large numbers of offenders re-entering the community.   This has caused concern for public safety and an apprehension that some offenders may not be successfully rehabilitated.  The search for successful strategies has renewed attention and interest on reentry programs.

 

Finding Solutions

Efficient and effective ways of assisting offenders successfully reenter the community answer these concerns. Reentry programs that help keep offenders from reoffending and returning to detention facilities are cost-effective for communities as well as beneficial for individuals.  These programs may focus on assisting with job placement, facilitating access to drug-free housing, connecting offenders with behavioral health services, or providing other valuable supports.

 

All of these approaches share a critical component -- community collaboration. Achieving this level of community support can be challenging, however. For many Tribal communities, stigma surrounding incarceration poses a formidable challenge.  Fortunately, Tribal courts, and other Tribal institutions, can provide a forum to bring community stakeholders into the reentry process while breaking down stigma.

 

Eugene White-Fish, Chief Judge of Forest County Potawatomi, explained that Tribal courts often take a healing and teaching approach that fosters community collaboration. "The community has the ability to carry on the healing process and to habilitate the individual --to teach something that has never been taught to them, rather than to rehabilitate-to teach something that has already been taught." Judge White-Fish also believes that habilitation of the community to overcome stigma can be possible over time. Engaging the community in the reentry process can help ease tensions and clarify negative assumptions about an offender.

 

Identifying and Overcoming Challenges

Substantial numbers of prisoners have a history of substance abuse and/or mental illness that may be directly related to the crimes they committed. Given this fact, reentry services that go beyond supervision and disciplinary actions are vital in successful reentry of many offenders. Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect between behavioral health services and the criminal justice system. The two parties have traditionally worked separately and even the language used to describe services for offenders varies. In the behavioral health system, providers use the term aftercare to describe services provided to clients in recovery and reentering the community.  The justice system uses the term reentry to describe this period of time and the services offered to offenders.

 

To make reentry work, justice system partners and behavioral health providers must cooperate and coordinate with each other.  This approach often requires memorandums of agreement, an understanding of privacy policies, and training, among other measures.

 

Methamphetamine and Reentry

Methamphetamine (meth) users that are released from detention run a particularly high risk of relapse and recidivism. Generally, meth users pose greater challenges due to the uniquely difficult nature of meth addiction and the extended/intensive treatment required. For this reason, Tribal programs addressing methamphetamine use may be especially valuable partners in reentry efforts. Some programs have already been deployed to serve this population, but there is much more work to be done.

 

Look for the next installment of this series in the next edition of Visions.

  

References

Melton, Ada, Roshanna Lucero, and David Melton. "Strategies for Creating Offender Reentry Programs in Indian Country." U.S. Department of Justice, prepared by American Indian Development Associates. August 2010. http://www.aidainc.net/Publications/Full_Prisoner_Reentry.pdf

Cobb, Kimberly, and Tracy Mullins. "Tribal Probation: An Overview for Tribal Court Judges." Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. May 2010. http://www.appa-net.org/eweb/docs/appa/pubs/TPOTCJ.pdf

Baer, Demelza, Avinash Bhati, Lisa Brooks, Jennifer Castro, Nancy Vigne, Kamala Mallik-Kane, Rebecca Naser, Jenny Osborne, Caterina Roman, John Roman, et al. "Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry: Research Findings from the Urban Institute's Prisoner Reentry Portfolio." Urban Institute Justice Policy Center. January 2006. http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411289_reentry_portfolio.pdf

Lehman, Joseph, Trudy Beatty, Dennis Maloney, Susan Russell, Anne Seymour, and Carol Shapiro. "The Three "R's" of Reentry." Justice Solutions. December 6, 2002. http://www.appa-net.org/eweb/docs/appa/pubs/RRR.pdf

 

  

The National Indian Health Board welcomes your input!  If you would like to submit materials for consideration, please contact the NIHB Public Health Department through
Public Health Communications and Program Manager Carolyn Angus-Hornbuckle at [email protected] or (202)507-4084.