Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2004)
Spilyqy Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon March 18, 2004 -j ' v , . ; r" I .'' .; V-r.r. -...- ; f ---".- ; v. I ., . L. i i u.' i--... tliL t A..,kt. ... ..... . Warm Springs team By Shawnele Surplus Community Advocate Upon their inception, the Warm Springs Community Ac tion Team (WSCAT) and the Central Oregon Partnership re searched what we call "Root Causes of Poverty." Among the nine root causes that we identi fied was a lack of "civic engage ment." People in poverty, due to demands on their time, energy and money as well as being dis illusioned with society, do not engage in their communities as much as those who are not in poverty. Unfortunately, this under standable decision results in a lack of "voice" for those in poverty and they are often over looked, or the solutions to issues of poverty are irrelevant to them. Currently, the WSCAT is en gaged in two projects with the intent of breaking this root cause of poverty. In spring of last year, WSCAT staff was ap proached by staff from Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) to apply on behalf of Warm Springs to participate in com munity leadership training. While the curriculum for this training was created by the Ford Family Foundation out of Roseburg, RDI had been se lected to deliver the training throughout rural Oregon. As requested, the WSCAT applied, and Warm Springs was selected along with Madras. Eventually RDI and WSCAT staff selected a handful of people to act as the "nominat ing committee" for actual par ticipants in the program. When the nominating committee met last month, they selected a num ber of people in the community (from youth to elders, from all tribes, and from all walks of life - some people selected are al ready looking to lead, others are those considered to be emerg ing leaders) who have been con tacted about participating in the program and have completed their applications. Of these, ten will be selected Early Bird Easter Treasure Hunt Where? The Museum at Warm Springs. When? Saturday, April 11 from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. Seek to the heart's content. to participate in the program. After completion of this pro gram, these people will be ex pected to use their newly honed skills to conduct a project with their "classmates" before begin ning to help prepare for the next group of trainees to begin the program next year. The plan is to conduct at least three such classes in the next three years, eventually impact ing the entire Warm Springs community. Because there has been so much interest from Warm Springs youth in leader ship training, the WSCAT is working with RDI and the Ma dras area Community Action team to investigate the feasibil ity of a school-year long leader ship training program for our youth. Get out the vote Another project that the WSCAT is pursuing in hopes of increasing civic engagement is a "Get Out the Vote" project. Traditionally persons in pov erty as well as Indians on reser vations do not have a high rate of voter turnout. As a demo cratic society, the opportunity to vote is not only one of our greatest assets, but it is truly pow erful. This spring the WSCAT and community partners like KWSO and Governmental Affairs as well as interested community members will be out and about helping Warm Springs residents get registered to vote. We will be going door to door as well as having booths at community events. Come get registered and pick up your Native voter bumper sticker later this spring. After, our initial registration ef fort we are bringing in a repre sentative from Project Vote Smart to talk about the differ ent tactics that candidates and proponents and opponents of political measures use to confuse issues and frustrate voters. We will also be hosting com munity forums for candidates to come to Warm Springs and tell us how voting for them will ben efit our community - and re- How? Bring your own container and hunt for treasures hidden in the west field of the museum grounds. Brenda Scott At the Scckseeiua District meeting, Brenda Scott said she hopes all members of the dis trict vote for the candidate they will support on Council. When a person is serving on Council, said Scott, the person can get picked on by people who are un happy with a situation. "People think it's an easy job," she said, "but it's not." A key problem facing the tribes, Scott said, is money. All programs - education, public safety, health and so forth - re quire money. "It is the Tribal Council's job to find that money," she said. In the end, Scott said, she encouraged people to vote for the candidate they support, and then show support once that person is in office. working on root causes of poverty minding them that Warm Springs does have a voice and intends to use it. We will also be requesting platform information on topics important to Warm Springs. Keep listening to KWSO and reading the Spilyay to get that information. Finally, we are requesting to have a ballot box placed in Warm Springs and will be gath ering ballots for those who can't make it to the ballot box to cast their votes. Root causes of poverty The "Root Causes of Pov erty" that the WSCAT is ad dressing are: 1) A Family I listory of Pov erty. When one grows up sur rounded by poverty, it's often the only environment they know and when, in turn, they grow up, it's the environment they most often re-create in their own fami lies. 2) Chronic Poverty, Those who are severely disabled, ad dicted, or the very elderly and poor often lack the capacity to help themselves economically or socially. 3) Limited Economic Oppor tunity. Without the opportunity to work, grow and advance, or to make sufficient wages to sup port a family or own a home -poverty and its effects often follow. . 4) Inadequate Educational and Training Opportunities. In a society that favors and pays gmall Hands to Hold Love ... Not Tire Fact: Children from age two to seventeen start fires that endanger lives, cause injuries, death and burn millions of dollars in property. Fact: Children under the age of three cause a majority of these fires and lose their lives in the process. This does not have to happen. Parents need to teach their children about the dangers of fire and create a fire-safe home. Install Smoke Detectors ... Plan an Escape Route AMERIND offers Home and Fire Safety Training to Children in Indian Country. Contact AMERIND'S Loss Prevention Team for more information: AMERIND: Wilson Wewa no longer sit in that position anymore. We need strong leadership on We need people that under our whole Council. stand the issues. We used to be the lead reser- We need leaders that will go vation in the Northwest and we out and speak up. for knowledge and skills, access to education and training is im perative. 5) RacialCultural Isolation or Discrimination. When cul tures or races of people are ex cluded from full participation in opportunity, social and economic divisions follow. 6) Weak Family Structures. When young people arc without the support and nurture of a loving and supportive family, educational values often break down; substance abuse, crime and anti-social behavior can in www.amerind-corp.org 800-352-3496 A Consortium of Tribes t - em crease; and a sense of discon nection from the community often ensues. 7) Weak Traditions of Civic Engagement and Limited Social Capital. 8) Limited Community Awareness of (or interest in) P( vcrty. Kn Aving about a pr b Icm and being concerned about it are the first steps in solving that problem. 9) Catastrophic Life Events. The degree of control a person has over the occurrence can be minimal to none. I lealth crises, Credit problems! We finance most everyone! fsmimi An Gtmir' Protecting Tribes and SoutlianOivgon University hosting spiingpowwow The Twelfth Annual Spring Powwow of the Southern Oregon Univer sity Native American Stu dent Union is set for April 10-11. ( i rand F.ntry will be at noon and 7 p.m. on Satur day, noon on Sunday. Din ner is at 5 p.m. Saturday. 1'riendly competition is set for all categories. All dancers, drummers and vendors are welcome. All events are held at McNcal Pavilion in Ashland. For more infor mation call the S( )U Native American Student Union at 552-6463. accidents, employment changes such as a plant closing. Initializ ing events can also be caused by poor decisions or bad judg ment. If you're interested in join ing us to help engage the com munity, or are interested in any of our projects, then give us a call at the WSCAT office at 553-3 14H, or stop by our office in the Plaza. You can also join us at our meetings on the first and third Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. A Y Their Families r
