Smoke Signals
Tribe's Youth Prevention Program Sponsors
"Nuturing Parent" Class At Spirit Mountain Casino
Parents need to learn to take care of themselves if they are to take care of others.
10 OCTOBER 15, 2004
Iiy Peta Tinda
About 14 Tribal parents and em
ployees attended a "Nurturing Par
ent" training held at Spirit Moun
tain Casino on Thursday and Fri
day, October 7 and 8.
The training was sponsored by
the Tribe's Youth Social Services
Prevention Program.
On the first day they learned the
basics, philosophy and values as
sociated with the training.
The participants did experimen
tal exercises, learned about the fun
damentals of the nurturing com
munication and non-punitive be
havior management.
Tribal member Carmen Pearsall,
who took the training last year,
thought that it would be good for
parents here in Grand Ronde.
She worked with Youth Social
Service Prevention Program Spe
cialist Lisa Leno to help coordinate
the training and bring the present
ers. "The goal is to teach the whole
family the skills we are learning
here today," Pearsall said.
"We make sure that the parents
and children all share the same in
formation. Our goal is to have a
holistic, nurturing parent pro
gram." Presenter Karen Cady, a mar
riage and family therapist and
clinical supervisor, said "we're
training participants to become fa
cilitators to develop they're own
nurturing parent programs.
"The whole process is that fami
lies come together as a system and
learn how to become nurturing
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Needs VS. Wants Nurturing Parent presenter Karen Cady, a family and
marriage therapist, gives a presentation during the free, two day training.
parents by nurturing themselves."
This is one of the key concepts of
the workshop, Pearsall explained.
"In order for us to become nurtur
ing parents, we must nurture our
selves. We went around and asked:
'Do you feel like you nurture your
self?' and the answer was invariably,
'no.' There's a social stigma that nur-
Following Along Tribal mem
ber Carmen Mercier (right) studies her
notes during the Nurturing Parent Train
ing. Mercier was instrumental in orga
nizing the training, with the help of the
Tribal Youth Social Services Prevention
Program.
turing equals being selfish."
The class learned that in order
to be a positive, healthy individual,
the parents must first learn to take
care of themselves.
The parents task is to define
what nurturing is, whether it's ex
ercise, sports or time with one's
family.
Tribal member Andrea Verduzco
attended the class and said that
she thought it would be helpful.
"They taught us to be consistent
and say what you mean."
Tribal member Kim Contreras
said, "I think it will help us to be
better parents and help us hold our
own parenting classes."
R Stiep Into The SJhoe Giant!:
Nike Intern Azure Swan studied at the crossroads of business and culture.
By Ron Karten
Azure Swan (Arrow Lakes
Band of the Colville Confeder
ated Tribes), 22, is right in the
middle of a two-year program at
Haskall Indian Nations Univer
sity in Lawrence, Kansas. With
an eye on the future, she also has
just completed a summer intern
ship at Nike, Inc.
"Right now I'm (majoring) in
Media Arts," she said during an
interview from her office in
Beaverton, but, "this is like the
third change of degree."
Ultimately, she aims to combine
her artsy side (photography) with
her business side (working with
computers) to develop some kind
of career, maybe in television.
Behind the camera or in front
of it?
"Probably both," she said. "I
was born to be a star," she
laughed.
At Nike, Swan put her time into
the Native American Diabetes
program, "making sure all the in
formation is current... so we can
provide quality products at
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Azure Swan
wholesale prices."
"My goal," said Sam McCracken,
who as Nike's Native American
Business Manager established the
internship with Haskall Indian
Nations University, "is to get her a
good taste of corporate America.
"Azure hasn't been off the reser
vation. To give her that exposure
to a whole nother world. Initially,
what really stuck out about her was
her personality. You can't be in a
shell if you want to succeed."
"I'm learning a lot more about dia
betes and how it can be prevented,"
said Swan. "How it's really good for
the Native American community to
be part of something.
"I'll learn the business of how to
be professional, too, I guess.
"Every thing is a surprise from
when I first got here," she said. "It's
really great. I enjoy all my team
members and all the tasks that I'm
doing.
"I've been working my best at it."
Swan comes from a family that is
into "hunting, camping, stuff like
that. I learned a lot about who I
am through my family," she said.
"I love to bead, attend pow-wows."
She has made her own pow-wow
regalia and intends to get back into
dancing. Her dance is the fancy
shawl.
"Probably one of my other fa
vorite interests is creative writing.
I kind of started off with simple
poems and touched on short sto
ries. I try to go with life experi
ence also, so I can put it on paper
and remember it.
"What keeps me motivated in
writing is music. Influential au
thors would have to (include)
Sherman Alexi. I did a Young
Writers Conference. I was ASB
(Associated Student Body) presi
dent, so I got to have a lot of in
volvement. (Alexi) was one of the
authors at the conference. I've
seen him throughout the years.
"Our styles are different. I en
joy reading his stuff, but it's real
inspirational seeing a Native
American author out there."
With the end of summer, the in
ternship also now is over, but
something sticks with Swan as
she heads back to college: "I'm
really glad to (have been) in
volved with the diabetes program
because it is benefiting the com
munity greatly."