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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2011)
Tribe Reaches $8.8 Million in overall giving to Native, local organizations __ Wisdom of the Elders and ACS Present: R eviving the tradition of S eed -S aving Coming Full Circle with Hetrioom Seeds Total includes May quarterly distribution of $94,381 The Siletz Tribal Charitable Contri bution Fund distributed $94,381.66 to 42 organizations on May 6 as it continued its quarterly donations to non-profit orga nizations. The checks were presented at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, Ore. The Siletz Tribe is proud of its con tributions through employment, monetary donations and cooperative measures to the Siletz community, Lincoln County and the state of Oregon. The seven-member charitable fund advisory board has dis tributed more than $6.7 million since its inception in 2001. Overall, the Tribe has honored its tra dition of sharing within the community by distributing more than $8.8 million through the charitable fund and other Tribal resources. Chinook Winds has donated more than $1.8 million in cash and fund- raising items since it opened in 1995. The casino also provides in-kind donations of convention space for various fund-raisers with Ken Burrow* kun us for an informatise ulk b\ the founder of the Amman Center for Sustainability , as he details the possibilities for sustainable foods in urban areas through the cultivation of heirloom seeds and dtstnbu- tion of over 100.000 seedlings in POX as well as technical support, advertising and manpower for many events. The next deadline to submit applica tions is June 8,2011. Eligibility for money from the charitable fund is limited to two categories: • • Entities and activities located in the Siletz Tribe’s 11-county service area (Lincoln, Tillamook, Linn, Lane, Benton, Polk, Yamhill, Marion, Mult nomah, Washington and Clackamas counties) Native American entities and activities located anywhere in the United States Seed-saving as an Activist Practice w ith Mansha Auerbach Seed saving gives us the unique opportunity to dance with life and play a distinct role in our nourishment As corporations attempt to lake control of our planet's genetic diversity, seed saving increas ingly becomes a necessity team how you can take responsibility for your own food supply by saving your own seed from your garden S unday , J une 5 th , 2 pm Native American Student & Community Center. PSU $5-30 sliding scale donation, tree with PSI’ student ID Event includes a Silent Auction & Heirloom Seedling Giveaway All proceeds benefit the Senes 4 of Wisdom of thr Elders Radio www.wisdomoftheelders.org - 4-.. Applications and requirements can be obtained at www.ctsi.nsn.us/charitable- contribution-fund; from Kelley Ellis at 800-922-1399, ext. 1227, or 541-444- 8227; or by mail at Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549. Applications can be submitted via e-mail at stccf@live.com. ------- ---- For information about Agent Orange, possible health-related problems and VA benefits: Toll-free Helpline: 800-749-8387, Press 3 www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/ Notes, con’t from previous page Take time for fun. Make sure your meetings are more than job-distribution and problem-solving sessions. If they are limited to this, everyone’s interest will fade away. Be sure to provide time for recognizing the good things happening in the family. Family meetings are for encouragement and planning family fun as well as for problem solving. Some families spend some recreation time together after each meeting. They feel this ends the meeting on a positive note. Leadership skills for family meetings What leadership skills are needed to run a family meeting? Effective leader ship keeps the meetings moving toward mutually agreeable solutions. It is based on respect for everyone’s opinion. The following guidelines will contribute to effective family meetings: Use reflective listening to help family members feel understood. Use l-messages to express your feelings and to model honest communication for other family members. Pinpoint the real issues - do not be distracted by side issues. If the real issue is a matter of power, control or personal privilege, point it out in a friendly manner - “It seems we are all interested in getting our own way. How can we deal with this?” Stay with the real issues. Use brainstorming to identify pos sible solutions to problems brought up for discussion. Ask members to think of all the alternatives they can. Delay decisions until all ideas have been given. When it appears that all the possi bilities have been identified, explore the implications of each one. Evaluate each suggestion; for example - “How does everyone feel about drawing names to decide who does the chores?” Continue the evaluation procedure until the family finds a mutually accept able solution. Brainstorming allows each person to participate and provides an opportunity for members with opposing ideas to find another idea that appeals to all. (Note: If done with mutual respect, this procedure encourages willingness to participate in generating solutions. If a member’s suggestion is rejected as soon as it is said, the person will probably stop giv ing ideas. If evaluation is postponed until all suggestions have been given, a mem ber’s idea may be seen as one of many not accepted by the family. Thus, the rejection is seen as impersonal and is “softened.”) Work for consensus. Voting cre ates a competitive atmosphere in family meetings. The losers may resist imple menting the decisions of the majority. Therefore, it is best to table any issue on which consensus is not reached - “It looks as if we’re not ready yet to agree on a solution. Let’s think of some other ideas this week and talk about them at our next meeting.” Occasionally an issue will need immediate attention. If consensus can not be reached quickly, the parent can tell the family that he or she will have to make a decision - “It appears that we are not ready to make a decision on this yet. Something must be done about it right away, though, so I will make the decision and we can have another opportunity to discuss it at our next meeting.” Be cautious with this approach, how ever. Evaluate whether an issue actually needs such immediate attention. Also be aware that if premature decisions are made - if the goal is not simply to do what the situation required - you are inviting resentment and rebellion. Starting family meetings When can you start a family meeting? As soon as you and your partner have a clear understanding of what the meetings should achieve and are ready to function as equals with each other and with your children. Parents who play the role of benevolent autocrat or passive resister will hinder the progress. There must be a conscious decision to work together. It is not necessary to wait until all family members are ready to attend a fam ily meeting. If most are, it is appropriate to get started. Those who do not attend the early meetings might decide to join in later, after they find that decisions made in the meetings may affect them. How do you initiate family meetings? There are many ways to start. Sometimes a formal procedure is well-received by the children. From it they can sense the importance of the undertaking. At the first (exploratory) meeting, the parents explain the purposes and procedures of family meetings and ask the children if they would be inter ested. If the children say yes, the format for succeeding meetings is as follows: When the day of the outing comes, expect the children to carry out the responsibilities they chose. If someone forgets, do not single that child out and do not rescue the situation. Let everyone experience the consequences. Your goal is to reinforce teamwork and interdepen dence, not play detective or overseer. As family members learn to cooper ate, you can informally begin to introduce problems and the necessity of household chores at another meeting. As the group becomes accustomed to working through problems and planning family fun, you can bring up the idea of establishing formal meetings so all the family business can be transacted in one session each week. Lastly, avoid these common mistakes in family meetings: 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. Read and discuss the minutes of the previous meetings. 2. Discuss old business, evaluating the previous decisions and discussing unresolved issues. 3. Discuss new business, including plans for family fun 4. Summarize the meeting, reviewing decisions and commitments. If your children resist formal meet ings or those that emphasize chores, you can choose a more casual approach. For example, you might begin by planning a recreation activity in an informal ses sion after dinner. You might say, “How about our doing something together this Sunday; perhaps some sort of outing? Does anyone have ideas about where we could go?” 5. 6. Waiting until every member of the family agrees to attend (instead of beginning with those who are willing) Starting late Meeting for too long a time Domination by one or more persons (including parents) Overemphasizing or focusing on complaints and criticisms Not putting agreements into action The family meeting can be a link that strengthens family ties. Although it is not a cure-all for family ills, its potential is considerable. It is an important element in the development of democratic family relations and communication. I realize this concept is new to the majority of you, but trying something new puts all members of the family on equal footing. The rewards of the family meet ing can be very gratifying and rewarding. It might become easier if you remember that the goal of a family meeting is to create a feeling of equality and a sense of contributing and being heard. June 2011 • Siletz News • 17
