Printer Version (pdf) of Wellbriety! Summer: Volume4, Number19

Wellbriety Month and the Circles of Recovery Conference Coming in September, 2003

Look below for a list of Wellbriety Month coordinators and the Conference Story

Recovery/Wellbriety Month Takes Place in September
September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month across the nation. In Indian country we call it National Native American Wellbriety Month. It's a month to bring forward what we are doing in our own personal wellness efforts and in our health and healing efforts for our communities. This year's theme is Celebrating Health.

As of Web time there are 15 celebrations scheduled to take place in Native American communities. If you live near one of these locations and want to take part in Celebrating Native American Health, contact one of the coordinators on the list.

Recovery Month 2003 Contacts In Brief
Visit www.whitebison.org for more information

Albuquerque, NM
September 20, 2003 Recovery Month Powwow
In conjunction with the White Bison Strengthening Our Nations Conference September 18-21, 2003 held at the Albuquerque Convention Center
Norman Sitting Up
505-489-2001

Anchorage, AK
September 4
Diane Ogilive
Phone: 907-565-1239

Billings, MT
September 24
Anna DeCrane
406 671-8423 Cell
406-259-2362

Boston, Massachusetts
September 27-28
Donald Silva
617-232-0343
Donald.silva@ihs.boston.org

Bowler, Wisconsin
September 13, 2003
Kandy Pamonicutt
715-793-3000

Chicago, Illinois
September 7, 2003
Joe Podlasek
773-275-5871
joep@aic-chicago.org

Cincinnati, Ohio
September 4-7, 2003 Continuous Recovery Month Events
Vicki White Wolf
513-281-3743
aimwhitewolf@yahoo.com
OR
Lori Bakara
937-229-5167

Dayton, Ohio
September 2003 Events-- To Be Announced
Lori Bakara
937-229-5167

Denver, Colorado
September 27, 2003
Erik Stone
303-639-9320
info@signalbhn.org

Guadalupe, Arizona
September 6, 2003
Manual Castro
480-768-2087
OR
Dr Clare Cory
480-768-2087

Heart Butte, Montana
September 5, 2003 Recovery Month Talking Circle
Darrell Rides at the Door
406-338-6166

Kingstree, South Carolina
September 25, 2003
Toni Boucher
843-881-6628
boucher@straight2you.net

Nampa, Idaho
September, 2003--Date to be Announced
Paula Smith
208-713-1320

San Francisco, California
September 26, 2003
Ken Harper
415-865-5616
bayarea2spirits@hotmail.com

Santa Cruz, California
September 2003-- Date to be announced
Barbara Mike
831-479-4483
fourdirectionscircle@yahoo.com

Tahlequah, Oklahoma
September, 2003--Date to be announced
Dana Tiger
918-457-6035
danatiger@hotmail.com

Thoreau, New Mexico
September 1, 2003 Recovery Baseball Challenge
Mavis Price
505-862-7149

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Wellbriety Month and the Circles of Recovery Conference
Wellbriety Month
It's that time of year again when the autumnal equinox draws near, that time when the days and nights come into balance and the crops come in, that time when we begin to look to the cooler months.

Every September for the past few years, Native communities have celebrated National Native American Wellbriety Month as well as National Drug and Alcohol Recovery Month all across the country. This September, 2003, it is time once again for Indian people and Alaska and Hawaii Natives to come forward and be proud of recovering from alcohol and other drugs, as well as from other dysfunctional behaviors.

The plans for Wellbriety Month are still developing as this goes up on the web, but this year there are 15 confirmed celebrations and events taking place in Native communities around the country. Take a look at the map on the front of this issue of Wellbriety! and check out the list of coordinators printed here.
What happens in Indian country during Wellbriety Month? Anything that puts a human face on recovery and health activities can be part of Wellbriety month. In some communities there are one-day gatherings with ceremonies, keynote speakers, and panel discussions, all centered on healing from the effects of addiction and family violence. The speakers can be local Elders and others playing a role in healing and health in the community. This year's theme nationally is Celebrating Health. So it's not just limited to alcohol and drugs, but is about living in healthy ways. Any community activities or programs about Health can be part of this year's Wellbriety Month.

Some communities will put up pot luck feasts and Wellbriety powwows during their own Wellbriety Month celebrations. For other communities there are wellness walks and fun runs at which all can participate. Some have activities taking place all through the month of September just to keep up awareness of sobriety, recovery, healing, health, and well lifestyles. Once your community decides it wants to come forward for wellness, lots of good ideas will appear. Contact White Bison to get your event listed on the White Bison website.

The Circles of Recovery Conference
White Bison's Circle of Recovery Conference is a high point of each year's Wellbriety Month celebration. This year's Conference takes place from September 18-21 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And, as usual, it's free. This year's theme is Strengthening Our Nations. Last year there were over 500 participants at the Circles of Recovery Conference in Billings. Plan on coming to Albuquerque this September to give your own sobriety, recovery and Red Road healing journey a boost. You'll meet other friends and relations who are on their own cultural healing Journeys. You'll participate in Sacred Hoop ceremonies, talking circles, and events for youth. At this year's White Bison Conference there will be a powerful series of presentations about Healing Our Nations from well-known authors who have been pace setters in addictions recovery, well organizations, and family healing since the 1980's.

Some of this year's conference will be devoted to healing presentations for those who grew up in alcoholic or drug-using families. COA and ACOA presentations will be given by Gary Newman, and a COA healing and wellness resources kit will be presented.

Claudia Black's two books, It Will Never Happen to Me, and Changing Course: Healing From Loss, Abandonment and Fear, broke new ground for children of alcoholics starting in the mid 1980's. She introduced the idea that not only in alcoholic families, but also in other kinds of dysfunctional families and organizations, the injunction Don't Talk, Don't Trust and Don't Feel, is like an invisible chain that locks down family or organizational members. This year, Dr. Black will give a keynote on Children of Alcoholics in support of those who grew up in that way.

Anne Wilson Schaef is another author who broke the silence and wrote books about co dependency, women's healing, and addictive behaviors in the 1980's and 90's. Dr. Schaef has strong connections with indigenous people world-wide and she facilitated Circles at last year's Conference in Billings. This year Ms. Schaef talks about Healing Our Organizations—certainly an important part of Strengthening Our Nations. She draws on experience and words from at least two of her books, The Addictive Organization, and Living in Process: Basic Truths for Living the Path of the Soul, in order to present these teachings.

Margaret Wheatley is yet another powerful spokeswoman for well organizations and for the art of relating to one another through talking and listening. Dr. Wheatley will speak on developing healthy Native organizations in the 21 st century. She brings years of experience in organizational development, as well as her two most recent books, Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, and, A Simpler Way, in her sharing at the White Bison Conference in Albuquerque.

William White is another author who will keynote at the Conference. Bill is perhaps best known for his book Slaying the Dragon, which champions a new recovery attitude and movement in which people in recovery and people who have recovered from addictions can find creative fellowship with one another in pride and strength as recovered people. And now Bill White and Don Coyhis are currently busy at work on a book about the historic Native American experience of resistance to alcohol ever since the invasion of Turtle Island in 1492. The book's working title is Alcoholism in Native America: The Untold Story of Resistance and Recovery. Mr. White will keynote on the history of the Recovery Movement in Native America since first contact.

Conference presentations will include all of these and a great deal more. Theda Newbreast will play an important role at the conference as a representative of the GONA cultural wellness approach, and women in wellness, as well as bringing her own warmth, strength, presence and humor to the Gathering. Pamela Jumper Thurman will speak on the Community Readiness Model for alcohol and addictions recovery. Blaine Wood will talk about the Firestarters Program, both in Native communities and in prisons. He will also mention the 7 Community Training programs in the Healing Forest model. Jeri Brunoe Sampson will be back this year with her youth work. ?The Conference will also learn of plans for National Forgiveness Day, April 17, 2004, which is in the early stages of discussion to take place next year. And former head of the BIA, Native attorney Kevin Gover, will talk about Wellbriety and sober leadership.

This year's keynotes at the Circles of Recovery conference promise to be a watershed of teachings, insights and good words. There is also a Wellbriety for Youth track planned, and many concurrent learning sessions that a participant can choose from. Add to that a Wellbriety powwow, a banquet, an awards and recognition session, and you have an event that will provide plenty to take back home and share with friends, family and community on the Wellness Journey, Indian style. And one more thing––the Wellbriety Roast. What's wellness without the humor of getting slowly roasted among your friends and neighbors? Sam English will be honored (or is that humored?) with the first-ever Wellbriety Roast. And who will be the roaster or roasters? Well, you'll have to come to find out.

Strengthening Our Nations is about healing our organizations. As Margaret Wheatley asks, do we talk with, and listen to one another as part of our work experience? Or as Claudia Black's work might suggest, do we adopt a Don't Talk, Don't Trust, Don't Feel attitude and policy in our organizations? And as Anne Wilson Schaef has written, do we in fact have an addictive, dysfunctional organization? If so, how can we heal that? Perhaps by beginning to live in an organizational process that fearlessly recognizes fear and unwell leadership. A process that then goes on to encourage sober leadership and teamwork, coming from a place of honesty and personal integrity.

To complete the cycle of four conferences––Individual (1999); Family (2001); Community (2002); and now Nation (2003)–– come to the White Bison Conference this year. See you in Albuquerque.

Contact White Bison toll-free at 1-877-871-1495 or check out the website at www.whitebison.org to get a brochure, registration materials, and more information.

Richard Simonelli

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Recognition Awards Slated for White Bison Conference

Do you know someone who has made a significant contribution to the health, wellness or development of Native American people or communities? The Strengthening Our Nations Conference in Albuquerque from September 18-21 offers a special Recognition Awards evening on Friday night, September 19. Here is an opportunity to nominate a person who has done good work in contributing to the wellness of Native North America. Neither you nor they need to be present to receive the award. Simply make sure the following information is delivered to White Bison by Wednesday, September 17. Phone: 1-877-871-1495 • Fax: (719) 548-9407 • e mail: info@whitebison.org

1-Your Name
2-Who would you like to nominate?
3-Reason for nomination. Be sure to write a few words about what your nominee has done.
4-Contact information for you:
•Name
•Address
•Phone

Here are the categories for the Wellness Awards to be given at the conference:

Award #1
Rick Albers Memorial Award:
This award recognizes those who have made a lifetime contribution to the development or healing in Native American communities. This award honors the memory of Rick Albers who, before his untimely death in 1998, wrote millions of dollars of grants for grass roots organizations. One of those grants was the first Circles of Recovery grant that enabled White Bison, Inc. to conduct the first and second Sacred Hoop Journeys and which also enabled the Firestarter program to be implemented in many Native American communities throughout Turtle Island.

Firestarter Awards:
Award #2-Man
Award #3-Woman
This award recognizes the hard work and efforts of those people who have volunteered their time and energy to facilitate Firestarter Circles in their communities. They have shown significant dedication in providing support, encouragement, continuity and commitment to those who want to participate in the Medicine Wheel and 12 Steps. If you know someone who shows this commitment, please nominate him or her.

Youth of the Year
Award #4-Boy
Award #5-Girl
We honor and support our Youth because they will be the face of our communities and Nations tomorrow. This award is for a boy and a girl who have shown the character, wellness, and abilities that today’s youth need in order to become tomorrow’s adults, parents and leaders. Award #6 Youth Mentor Award The Youth Mentor Award is for an adult who has taken the time to work with the youth of his or her community in some way that makes a difference. Mentorship could be in athletics, helping with homework and school, traditional guidance, fishing, hunting or in any other way that tells a young person that “we care.”

Adult Role Model of the Year
Award #7-Man
Award #8-Woman
Role models demonstrate what it means to live in wellness. This award honors a man and a woman whose life expresses the wellness and sobriety that are worthy of emulation by both the youth and by other adults who are on the Wellbriety Journey.

Award #9
Community Change Agent
Wellbriety starts to come to a community after some individuals and families have traveled the healing journey themselves. This award honors an individual who has worked in his or her community to bring positive change to the community. It could be someone who has worked for the schools, for community centers, for treatment centers, for traditional societies and clans, or some other part of the community.

Award #10
Unsung Hero
There are always people who work hard for change or who help others in ways that may not be obvious or out in the open. Some people don’t seek recognition in any way. This award is for Heroes who wouldn’t ordinarily receive any recognition.

Award#11
Elder of the Year
Our Elders are living examples of what life can be if it is lived with honor, respect, and good relationships. This award recognizes an Elder who demonstrates the character, love, and wisdom of what an Elder can be.

Award #12
Committed to Youth Award
There are many ways to support and be there for Youth in addition to being a role model or a mentor. Some people help get funding or otherwise set up programs to benefit youth. Others might be teachers or healthcare workers. This Award is given to people who help our youth in ways too numerous to mention.