TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
New Program for Youth
by Kelli Brugh, Tribal Youth Mental Health Specialist
“Children are the living messages we send to a lifetime we will never see."
Unknown Author
1 like that saying. It makes me think of my children, my yet-to-be-born
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, my mom and dad, my grandparents, my
great-grandparents, and beyond. Somehow it makes sense to me that we’re all
connected in ways that are sometimes hard to visualize.
My living messages are parts of the truths, joys, and heartaches transferred
through the generations. So I ask myself, what do my living messages say?
I hope they say they’re messages of resiliency, spirituality, kindness,
connectedness, hope, humility, service, and love. Yet I know that life has a way of
transforming our intent and the messages have felt the impact of grief, alcohol,
poverty, abuse, disappointment, racism, violence, greed, and hatred.
My name is Kelli Brugh. I’m the daughter of Catherine Thomas and Rodney
Brugh. I’m a member of the Lyackson First Nation of Vancouver, B.C. I’ve
previously worked for the Siletz Tribe in different capacities and I recently was
hired as the youth mental health specialist for the Tribal Youth Project.
This program has been funded by a three-year grant from the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The program’s overall goal is to promote
individual and family resiliency and reduce the risk factors that contribute to:
Generational abuse and trauma
5* Suicide
Single-parent households
>■ Teen violence
Teen pregnancy
Poverty
High school failure/dropout
>■ Limited access to recreational/social activities
>■ Early onset of alcohol and drug use, and higher substance abuse rates than
the general population
We’re Looking
for a Few
Good Homes
To foster: to bring up. nurture;
to promote the growth and
development of, cultivate; to nurse,
cherish; to provide parental care and
nurture of children not related
through legal or blood ties.
The Indian Child Welfare
Program is always looking for good
homes for children from all areas of
our 11 counties. ICW is seeking
foster homes as well as relative
homes for relative placements.
If you think you would like to
be a foster home or relative
placement, or have questions about
being a foster parent or relative
provider, please contact Wendi
Schamp at 1-800-922-1399,
ext. 236. or 541-444-8236. She will
be more than happy to assist you
with any questions.
Overrepresentation in the juvenile and justice system
Diminished self-esteem and limited opportunities for leadership development
In partnership with existing tribal resources (prevention, health clinic,
substance abuse treatment, culture, education, and law enforcement) and the county
juvenile department, the project will implement a mental health services program
for youth and their families, and youth involved in the criminal justice system.
The objectives of the Tribal Youth Project are to:
>• Provide mental health services (assessment and therapeutic interventions)
to at-risk Siletz Tribal youth (age 8-18) and their families throughout the
11-county service area
Provide culturally oriented activity-based counseling (ropes course, rafting,
wilderness treks, talking circles, sweathouse ceremony, basket weaving,
traditional food identification and usage, traditional storytelling, and exposure
to tribal history) to Siletz Tribal youth and their families
>• Facilitate an annual Tribal Youth Conference to identify and address risk
factors and heath concerns of Siletz Tribal youth
>• Provide culturally sensitive mental health services to court-involved Siletz
Tribal youth and their families
May all of our living messages be filled with love, balance, and health.
For program information and/or services, please contact me at
1 -800-648-0449, ext. 611, or 541 -444-9611. Current schedule: Monday - Portland
Area Office, Tuesday - Salem Area Office, Wednesday - Eugene Area Office,
Thursday and Friday - Siletz Health Clinic.
Annual Cultural
Camp Coming
in July
It’s time to plan your summer
vacations, so be sure to include the
annual Culture Camp as the place to be.
Culture Camp will begin on July
22 and end on July 25. Camp will be
held at the Siletz Tribal Community
Center/Pow-Wow grounds. Tipis are
available for tribal families who live
outside of the city of Siletz. They are
limited, so to reserve a tipi you must
call Selene Rilatos at 1-800-922-1399,
ext. 246, or 541-444-8246.
We’re having an art contest for our
annual T-shirt giveaway. The deadline
to send your artwork is May 14. Please
send it to Cultural Programs, CTSI,
P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380.
The camp planning committee
would like you to call ahead and let us
know if you’ll be attending the camp
this year. If you have any questions,
suggestions, ideas, or donations, please
call the Cultural Programs.
Hum’Chi!
We currently are accepting applications for children age 6 weeks to 12
years old. If you’re interested in applying, please call 541 -444-2450 or stop by
the child care center, located at 930 W. Buford Ave. in Siletz.
Feel free to stop by and take a tour of our brand new facility. Our hours
currently are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Rates
Age of child
0-23 months old
2-12 years old
over 20 hrs/week
$2.50/hour
$2.25/hour
0-20 hrs/week
$2.75/hour
$2.50/hour
Limit of 9 hours/day in care. Ten percent multiple-child discount!
Opened to members of the community
Priority is based upon tribal membership, employees of the Siletz Tribe or
Chinook Winds, families on child care assistance, residents of Siletz Tribal
housing, and members of the community.
We have plenty of space, so get your applications in as soon as possible!
Information on pre-enrollment interviews and parent orientation will be mailed
out to applicants.
May 2003 □
Siletz News
□
5