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
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Siletz News
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17