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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2007)
Pdge 2 Mgrcb 1, 2 0 0 7 Spilydy Tymoo, W d m Springs, Oregon March, film raise awareness of abuse problem B y L e s lie M itts Spilyay Tymoo The cold weather did little to deter those out to support a cause in late February. M em bers o f the M adras High School Youth Develop m ent Team partnered w ith com m unity m em bers from Warm Springs and Madras in or der to conduct a march against child sexual abuse. The march and accompany ing rally were only a small frac tion of the work the team has completed in attempt to com bat the issue. M ichael K aiser from the National Center for Victims of Crime traveled from Washing ton D.C. to serve as guest speaker at the event. He praised the group, and said that teenagers are typically viewed as a problem in the com munity. But, Kaiser said, “The fact is in Madras the young people are the solution to a problem in your community.” The m arch expanded on progress made by the group af ter they filmed and premiered the film, “Silent Message.” D uke W hite and his son founded Hudson Productions, the company that created the movie with Youth D evelop ment Team members. Fie said that throughout the experience, he has seen many people stand up in front of crowds and admit that they suf fered from child sexual abuse. “They feel that great lift in weight o ff their shoulders,” White said. White said the experience of Leslie Mitts photos Community members listened to speakers at the rally on Feb. 19 (above). Alyssia Meanus spoke to the media about the team’s efforts to bring awareness to the issue of sex abuse (right). working with the high school students will remain unparal leled as he works on future projects— especially in terms of impact. “It’s been an honor for me to work with the Madras Youth Development Team,” he said. According to Youth Devel opment Team member Isaac Zacharias, “We are determined to raise awareness of tilings that are happening in every minute of every day.” Savenia Falquist, advisor to the Youth Development Team, spoke during the rally of her experience working with the high school students. “I’m just so proud of these kids today,” she said. Alyssia Meanus co-leads the Youth Development Team with fellow tribal member Nicholas Katchia. She spoke out to victims of sexual abuse during the rally, saying, “I want all of you to know that it is okay, and it is not your fault.” Katchia spoke of his realiza tion that child sexual abuse is a drastic problem— and at a vari ety of age levels. Though the turnout wasn’t as big as they had expected, the crowd o f people yelled and marched with enthusiasm. “It turned out pretty good for what it was,” Meanus said. According to Meanus, group ing together is something that is key for combating the prob lem of child sexual abuse. She said, “If we just work together to break the silence we can put the abusers behind bars.” Overall, Katchia said, they have hoped to obliterate that si lence throughout the year. “I thin k we hoped that people aren’t afraid to come out and speak and talk about their abuse,” he said. A ccording to fellow team m em ber M arissa B iggs, the team’s work has had a positive impact throughout all the work they have done. “The team has actu ally brought a lot to my life,” she said. “It’s a serious thing to more people than you would think.” In Meanus’ opinion, a lot of the problem comes from adults who are unwilling to admit past problems or occurrences. “The adults need to just stop being stubborn and holding it back,” she said. With the help of elders and parents, Meanus said, the prob lem of sexual abuse can be re duced— and it’s something that many people face in their past. Meanus added, “They don’t like to believe it either because it happened to them.” The Youth D evelopm ent Team is an anti-drug and anti violence team made up o f stu dents who volunteer their time during lunch one day per week. Follow ing the m arch and rally, the students showed “Si lent Message” at the Jefferson County Library Annex. The 30-minute film tackles the subject of child sexual abuse in a series of three stories and is availab le on DVD from H udson P ro d u ctio n s at www.hudsonpro.com. The march was sponsored by Madras High School’, the Na tional Center for Victim s of Crime, the National Crime Pre v en tio n C o u n cil, Je ffe rso n C ounty E .M .S., Je ffe rso n County Commission on Chil dren and Families, the Confed erated Tribes of Warm Springs, Kids C enter, and Jefferso n County Victims Assistance. 7 \ Warm Springs, please support the businesses y o u see in the Spilyay They give back to the communityl — \_______________________ 7 Toys-Tools-Housewares-Clothing-Crafts-Gifts- MARCH Open M onday-Sat Commemorating 50 Years Since the Loss of Celilo Falls Celilo Village and Celilo Park 9:00-6:00 V öl— A ll N e w All T h e T im e ! Hr 7 1 7 S . W . 5 t h S t. M a d r a s O r. C.I3. Radios And Accessories Just In I Novelty Saturday, March 10 Honoring ceremony Traditional salmon dinner Celilo Falls history exhibit Informational exhibits Canoe ceremony Powwow Stickgarnes ioloppemsht. -w a s»»« Celilo Village & Park (1-84 Exit 97) Cigarette Items aufus WWW.celilowyam.org http://www.theoutpoststore.com/ Toys-Too I s-H o u se wa res-C I ot h i n g-C rafts-G ifts 1 Sunday, March 11 for more information visit call toll-free for recorded Information 1 ( 888 ) 289-1855 illustration by Paul Lanquist ft S * Washat service Traditional salmon dinner Celilo Falls history exhibit Informational exhibits
