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Wellbriety Month Planning is Underway!
September,
2002 is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.
In Native American communities across the nation it is also
Native American Wellbriety Month. We, as Native people, have
this unique opportunity to have our own culturally-relevant
recovery celebrations this September.
| "Every
Native American community can catch the excitement of
Wellbriety Month and plan their own sobriety, recovery,
wellness or Wellbriety get togethers." |
Special
Native American Wellbriety Month celebrations are slated to
take place in five cities in September. They are Sioux
Falls, South Dakota; Anchorage, Alaska; Yuma, Arizona; Billings,
Montana; and Portland, Oregon. But each and every
Native American community can catch the excitement of Wellbriety
Month and plan their own sobriety, recovery, wellness or Wellbriety
get togethers.
How
can you do that? What's supposed to happen in a community
Wellbriety Month gathering? Here's what will be happening
in the five White Bison/CSAT sites. Maybe your community can
take a few ideas from these cities and plan one that suits
your own area.
Sioux
Falls, South Dakota
(605) 221-0077
George Eagleman is the Wellbriety Month coordinator
for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to George, Sioux
Falls has a Native population of about 4000 people but there
aren't any recovery meetings specifically set up for Native
people. There are plenty of AA, Al-Anon and other 12 Step
meetings, but culturally relevant programs are in short supply.
He
sums up the situation and speaks about a vision for Wellbriety
Month when he says, "I've been sober for 17 years
and am a counselor in that field. I'm an advocate for sobriety
and trying to help others. I know being a counselor and being
in recovery keeps me sober! We need more Native People in
the counseling field. I think we need more culturally relevant
programs to introduce to the Native population."
Sioux
Falls' Wellbriety Month is still in the early planning stage,
but George shares a "Plan A and Plan B" possibility.
Plan A is a sobriety powwow and sobriety run. Plan B is a
sobriety run followed by a recovery forum in which people
can get together and talk, and at which counselors, Elders
and others will give presentations.
White
Bison offers the kind of culturally relevant program requested
by George Eagleman. To learn about The Medicine Wheel and
the 12 Steps Program, see the information page on the Medicine
Wheel and the 12 Steps Program in this issue of Wellbriety!
Magazine.
| "We
need more Native People in the counseling field. I think
we need more culturally relevant programs to introduce
to the Native population." |
George
shares that another possibility for Sioux Falls' Wellbriety
month events are short get togethers to view the information
video about the Medicine Wheel and the 12 Steps program, as
well as viewing Healing of a Nation, the Hoop Journey
video that comes along with the Wellbriety month kit. Any
community can show these videos as part of their Wellbriety
Month events. Contact White Bison to get them for your group.
Anchorage,
Alaska
(907) 550-2444
The urban Anchorage community is directing its Wellbriety
Month events to both Native and non Native people. Working
in coalition with the Alaska women's Project, a one-day event
is planned in Anchorage for September 14.
On
September 14, 2002, Wellbriety Month will be joining the Voices
of Recovery, Alaska "Sings Together." The event
will take place in Anchorage, Alaska at Woodland Park Elementary
from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. This is their first annual event singing
together as a State and as a community.
The
Alaska Wellbriety Month/Recovery Month event will be a whole-family
approach, including children and all those impacted by the
need for wellness.
"We
are bringing it to a facility that is neutral so it can be
for everybody," says coordinator Jacqueline Lee.
"What happens here is that if based with a specific
Tribal Council, then only a few people attend. We don't want
it for just Natives only, we want all the population to be
coming in. We are looking to recovery or wellness as a whole."
The
Anchorage event will include traditional dance and the sharing
of food. "People are interested in all aspects
of recovery, and alcohol and drug abuse is just one part of
it," continues Ms. Lee. "That will be highlighted
but it won't be the only recovery we will be focusing on.
We will recognize all of recovery and wellness as a whole.
We're focusing on how we can best work together on planned
events for families and individuals, making calendar events
for September."
Yuma,
Arizona
(760) 572-0232
Wellbriety and Recovery month events will take place throughout
the month of September in Yuma, Arizona, as well as across
the river in California with the Quechan Tribe. Coordinator
Gary Menta is leveraging the Tribe's ongoing ADAD program
to get out the word during Wellbriety Month.
| "People
are interested in all aspects of recovery, and alcohol
and drug abuse is just one part of it." |
Yuma
will see community events from September 3 all the way through
to September 28. Many of the events will feature art, and
arts and crafts done by youth and adults. There will be sobriety
walks, sobriety picnics, a sober conference/Alcathon, and
a series of GONA's taking place in September. The GONAs will
include a GONA for Elders, a GONA for women, a GONA for youth
and men honoring fathers, and a GONA for men. There will also
be a talent show, a BINGO games night, a volley ball tournament
and a horseshoe tournament.
Although
based in Yuma, Arizona, the Wellbriety month events will draw
on the many different communities from along the Colorado
River. How about any of these as ideas for your own community?
Gary
also talks about using a "Past, Present and Future"
theme to tie together the recovery and wellness events. The
Past highlights the Elders and life-principles such
as History, Dignity, Understanding, Direction, Trust, and
Respect.
The
Present focuses on today's adults and the principles
of Caring, Respect, Appreciation, Knowledge, Acceptance,
and Awareness.
And
the Future looks towards the youth and the guidelines
of Processing, Honesty, Interest, Support, Effectiveness,
and Implementation.
The
past, present and future theme brings recovery and wellness
awareness to any event that takes place. "Think these
words," says Gary. "We bring these words
into everything we do." Like Anchorage, Yuma's Wellbriety
Month invites any and all people who are in recovery.
| "Once
you find yourself letting people know you are in recovery,
and can promote it, then you are really getting what you
need t o get." |
Gary
learned about the theme Putting a New Face on Recovery
and carried it right into the experience of the Yuma, Arizona
community. "We are looking at being comfortable in
recovery," he says. "We have a lot of people
who are not comfortable when they start recovering. Once you
get comfortable in recovery and can say, 'Yes, I'm recovering
and I've stopped doing those things that hurt me,' once you
can say that, then you are really there. Later on when we
are comfortable in our recovery we tell people about it. Once
you find yourself letting people know you are in recovery,
and can promote it, then you are really getting what you need
to get."
Billings,
Montana
(406) 259-2362
Billings, Montana is honored to host two great events in Wellbriety
Year, 2002. Billings was the site of the first visit on
Hoop Journey III in early June. Many people got a taste of
the Wellbriety Movement when the Hoop visited the Garfield
School on June 3. Some of those people will undoubtedly return
as participants in the Third Annual White Bison Circles
of Recovery Conference: Strengthening Our Communities,
when it is held in Billings from September 26-29.
Anna
de Crane is the Billings coordinator for Wellbriety month.
For the Billings Wellbriety Month event, she and a group of
volunteers will put on a powwow to go along with the Circles
of Recovery Conference on September 28. They are also planning
a Walk to take place during September. Another part of their
contribution will be some of the eats to take place during
the White Bison conference. She says, "Were working
on getting a buffalo so maybe we can have a feed sometime
during the conference."
Anna
and some of her team are part of a White Bison Firestarters
circle in Billings. Anna facilitates a culturally relevant
Medicine Wheel and 12 Steps group for women.
Portland,
Oregon
(503) 236-3269
Portland also takes advantage of an existing event to join
forces with Wellbriety Month. "At this point, we are
planning a picnic and mini-Pow Wow on the grounds at NARA
residential treatment center. We have always held an Alumni
Picnic so this annual event is already well received in our
community," says coordinator Theresa Monteverdi.
NARA
(Native American Rehabilitation Association) Alumni are the
many people who have passed through the doors and the good
recovery experiences that the Association has offered the
Native community for over 25 years. Now, on September 14,
NARA Alumni and all others who are interested in sobriety,
recovery and wellness are invited to participate in a Wellbriety
mini powwow taking place in conjunction with the picinc.
Come
on out for grilled buffalo burgers, hotdogs and salmon.
"The rest of the food will be potluck," says
Ms Monteverdi. And she adds, "We are planning on cooking
for 400 people."
| "Do
any of these Wellbriety Month focus cities give you and
your community an idea of how to step forward and find
pride in your community's recovery and sobriety this September?" |
Plan
Your Community Events Now
Do any of these Wellbriety Month focus cities give you and
your community an idea of how to step forward and find pride
in your community's recovery and sobriety this September?
Call any of the coordinators listed above for tips or a conversation
to help with your own celebration.
Putting
a new Face on Recovery means to come out and share recovery
from substance abuse with others who are doing the same thing.
We recovery together with our families, friends, neighbors
and communities. Plan something for Wellbriety/Recovery month
in your community this September.
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