Railbelt Mental Health & Addictions

Wellness In Nenana WIN Coalition Meeting Minutes 05/31/05

 

There were 18 in attendance including Blaine & Bonnie Reed, Karen Lord, Kat McElroy, David Poppe, Miles Martin, Donald Charlie, Ken Eggleston, Shirley Demientieff, Jenny Murray, Tim Horn, Ray Fox, Bud Krause, Rose Allen, Bruce Boschert, Rita Pierce and Tim Barker.

 

The meeting was called to order by chairperson Traci Wiggins.

 

The mission statement was read by Rose Allen.

 

The Lord’s Prayer was recited led by Rose Allen.

 

We said the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Agenda was approved, no calls for modification.

 

Guests were introduced:

 

Jenny Murray is formerly from Anderson and now works in Anchorage for the Alaska Native Health Board. ANH has been contracted by the state to work on Indoor Air policy change. She spoke of her organizational efforts across the state with various grantee communities to help them enact local regulations regarding smoking. She stated that Sitka, with a population, just lost a local initiative to ban smoking in all public places including bars by 41 votes. She will be working with Rose Allen at RMHA in regards to this issue. Discussion ensued.

 

Shirley Demientieff described the 13 day Journey For Life river trip she plans in July. She will put into the Koyukuk River at the village of Evansville, and travel to Bettles, Allakaket, Hughes, Huslia, and Koyukuk, then on the Yukon River from Nulato, to Galena, Manley Hot Springs, Ruby, Tanana, Rampart, Sevens Village and Fort Yukon. She plans to spend one day in each village. Ms. Demientieff believes that people need to be educated how to intervene when they see someone is experiencing a desire towards self-harm. She expressed frustration because she cannot get funding for her endeavor.

 

Shirley wants to hold a 3 day conference in Nenana after her river journey. The title of this conference is Choose To Live. She wants to have a traditional Elders/Youths meeting for day one including Talking Circles and a community dinner. Day Two will have workshops with speakers addressing suicide, suicide prevention, the grief process, healing for survivors, and community intervention team-building. Day three will continue with educational workshops and motivational speakers and culminate in a pot latch. She mentioned a few of the people she has spoken to about this including Neal Charlie, Pauldine Carlo, and Jerry Isaac.

 

Much discussion ensued.

Karen Lord suggested getting the Native Council GA workers involved and said she would ask Robin Campbell about that.

 

Miles volunteered to talk to the Chamber of Commerce and local business owners to explore housing and bathroom accommodations. He mentioned especially the 10^th street city land right off the river for potential camping.  

 

Shirley stated she expects 300 or more participants. She described some of the front work she has done organizing the river trip and encouraging people. from other villages and the Fairbanks area to attend. She noted that her long distance phone bill was over 200 dollars last month.

 

Kat McElroy said she would put together a small projects grant proposal to the Mental Health Trust fund to see if we can get operational monies.

 

Ken Eggleston discussed using the school and/or the Living Center to house participants and workshops. He noted, ”There’s always one person people will reach out to, that’s why we have the Natural Helpers program (at the school).” He mentioned that over 30 students have completed the Natural Helpers training so far.

 

Traci cautioned that there would be many logistical challenges to put together so ambitious a project in so short a time.

 

Tim Barker stated that we have been lucky in our little community, no completed suicides. He attributes this to how close-knit the kids are in Nenana. He mentioned other problems with violence some schools have experienced. He stated that our schools have good security, “The kids think a camera is on them all the time.” He said that this helps the kids to hold themselves accountable.

 

Traci mentioned that most people having suicidal ideation are “under the radar,” and so members of the general community don’t know about it. She affirmed that our community has had to deal with this issue previously. She reiterated the current emergency response procedures in place and discussed the benefits of having a wider range of people in the community that would be educated to recognize and respond to suicidal thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

 

More general discussion and questions about suicidality indicated that there is much interest in learning more about this issue in our coalition.

 

Karen and Kat agreed to form a work group to assist Shirley.

 

There was no Old Business of note.

 

Our Wellness Thought of the week was: The most important thing we are doing right now is thinking nice thoughts. Kat read an excerpt from a daily meditation book, Keepers of the Wisdom, by Karen Casey, on the idea that positive thinking is important for good mental health.

 

Updates and Announcements:

 

Ken stated that Sandi Eggleston and Robin Campbell are having another Real Justice hearing Tuesday night at 7 PM at the Lynx Den at the Student Living Center. He encouraged anyone who has had the training to participate. This is the fifth hearing facilitated so far and he reports that the youths are enthusiastic about the process.

 

Karen announced tentative funeral and pot latch arrangements for Mae Jensen’s daughter, Sandra, “probably Sunday.” She noted that Saturday is the Ride for Sobriety as part of River Days celebration.

 

Meeting was adjourned at 2 PM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes for the Wellness In Nenana Coalition meeting, 24 May, 2005

 

WELCOME & READING OF MISSION STATEMENT by Traci Wiggins who chaired the meeting today.

 

PRAYER  was said by Bruce Boschert.

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE Recited by those in attendance.

 

PRESENTATION OF AGENDA AND CALL FOR MODIFICATIONS Agendas presented by Traci Wiggins. Ken Eggleston asked to be added to the agenda to report on various school projects over the summer. So added.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES  Minutes from 05/16/05 were unavailable for approval.

 

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS  Ken Eggleston from Nenana City Schools introduced guest Tim Barker who is our newly hired Director of Maintenance at NCPS. Tim stated that he is glad to be able to attend WIN meetings. He said that he would like to participate on a weekly basis as he sees his job as involving also village safety, school security, and community crisis response as well as maintaining the physical building. He indicated that he has been following the progress of WIN by reading the minutes posted on the RMHA web site and that he is eager to participate in our process.

           

SPEAKERS/TOPICS

 

            Nenana City Public School – Ken Eggleston

                        The office building project will be utilizing a 3 week summer construction academy for youths in 9^th grade and up. They will be sheet-rocking with John Grimes and taping and painting with George Albert. They will receive one-half a high school elective credit and perks include a tool-belt and tools to keep. This academy is open to any student, male or female. The roof is on and the electric is in. School students helped with that, working with Ron Brown.

NCPS is dialoguing with Design Alaska about retrofitting the big red warehouse building to turn it into an industrial arts shop. They envision having two-hour building trades classes. One of the projects they would like to do is building sheet metal storage sheds to order for people who would only have to pay the costs of the materials. Ken noted that Chugach Corporation down in Palmer currently has a facilities maintenance class. The students get minimum wages and room and board in this one year certification program. NCPS is exploring the possibility of partnering with Chugach or Doyon and doing something similar in Nenana.

            Ken also reported that the new principle for Cyber lynx and administer of the Special Ed program will be John Abrams, that the new superintendent will arrive in Nenana by the last week of June, and that so far there has been no new principle hired. Ken’s last day will be June 17^th

            Additionally, Ken announced that there will be Marine inspection available for boats at the Riverfront Café on Saturday, June 4^th,  by Mike Robinson and that TCC is holding a 2 day  six-pack licensing class in Nenana June 14^th & 15^th. The cost for the class will be $350.00.

            Choose to Live – Kat McElroy reported that she has been working with Shirley Demientieff to help organize a suicide prevention program. Previously, Ms. Demientieff has developed and assisted many community development projects with her energy, wisdom, and strength of character.  Recently, she has begun working to put together a suicide prevention conference she calls Choose to Live.  Her vision is to travel up and down the river systems in Interior Alaska, going from village to village (from Ft. Yukon to Allakaket, and all points in between), to speak to the people, to hear their ideas about suicide prevention, and to gain the support of Interior villages for a 3-day conference that she wants to hold in Nenana.  The purpose of the conference would be to educate people about the unique set of dynamics that seem to drive our astonishingly high suicide rates as well as to begin develop locally-based suicide prevention teams in each of the participating villages. She asked TCC for funds for this and was recently denied same. Railbelt has volunteered to assist her in any way we can to obtain funding for this ambitious project. We have invited and she has agreed to come to our next WIN meeting, 06/06/05, to talk to us about her plan and how we might be able to support that. She will be spending the day with Traci and Kat, brainstorming. Because of time constraints we might be looking at a one-day affair this year and use the next 12 months to put together a regional conference which she envisions to be like a traditional meeting, a coming together of many villages to address this issue.

                        Ken Eggleston suggested that we might want to invite Karen Lord to attend as she might be able to bring the Natural Helpers youths into this project, especially as many of them are here from outlying villages and could assist with community organization efforts in the home regions. He suggested bringing Shirley Demientieff into the school to talk to our older youth during the course of the winter.

                        Miles noted that as individuals we might be able help her by arranging boat rides with various people we know who travel the river.

                        Traci noted that many people think “This isn’t our problem,” but she recalls many attempts and completed suicides in this area during her lifetime.

                        Kat stated that some of our alarming accidental death rates are the result of high-risk and suicidal behaviors.

                        Ken stated that he remembers suicides on the reservation where he used to work that seemed to be accidental deaths until there were a cluster of them and they were investigated and found to be actually suicides.

                        Traci noted that funding will most likely come in small pieces from a variety of different sources, “not from any of our traditional funding sources,” as this is an innovative project.

 

WELLNESS THOUGHT

Spring does not ask an audience, but shapes each blossom perfectly, indifferent to applause.
–Joan Walsh Anglund

In the spring each blossom brings its own shape, color, and fragrance. The lilacs come early to spread their lavender splash. Apple trees burst into white, cherry blossoms into pink, and each weaves its unique and pleasant perfume.

They don’t bloom because someone told them to, or because they will receive anything in return. They bloom for the pure joy of blooming. They bloom because that is what they are here to do.

Each one of us blooms in our own time, with our own color and fragrance. Every one of us is a special and important blossom, and we are all part of the tree of life.

How will my day today help me grow?

UPDATES/ANNOUNCEMENTS     

                        RMHA: Kat stated that Jenny Miller (formerly of Anderson) from the Alaska Native Health Initiative will be in Nenana June 6^th, working with Rosemary Allen, to set up a focus group of four to six community members to discuss strategies to change tobacco use patterns in rural Alaska.

                        Diversionary Court: Ken noted that there are three current cases open and that anyone who took the Real Justice course is encouraged to contact Sandi Eggleston to become part of those circles. Sandi held three Talking Circles in April and May. The youths are impressed when adults are willing to take time to participate, to open up and share with them, and were particularly enjoyed Mike Anderson talking to them about his life, his experiences with recovery.

                        A flyer was brought from Robin Campbell of Nenana Native Council indicating that there will be a community cleanup and picnic at the graveyard up on the hill, beginning 1 PM on Sunday, 05-29-05. There will be wreath making at Ch‘eghutsen’ on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, 5-25 and 5-26.

                        Miles asked, “When is the next River Days organizational meeting?” Wednesday, June 1^st, at noon, at the city hall, Vicki said.

 

OPEN FLOOR FOR COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION

                        Traci thanked Bruce and Andie Boschert for purchasing and preparing the meal for today. Discussion ensued regarding future meals for WIN. Ken stated that there are dry goods from the school to be donated, also some freezer goods. Kat volunteered to bring a freezer down from North Pole for storage of same. Traci offered to obtain foodstuffs for next week’s meal.

 

NEXT WELLNESS MEETING DATE/TIME/TOPICS Chose To Live presentation from Shirley Demientieff. River Days organization. Recruit volunteers for tobacco coalition focus group.

ADJOURNMENT 2PM.