Wicozani Pantintanpi Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
Community prevention services are focused in isolated tribal communities to offer culturally specific and faith based violence/alcohol/drug abuse prevention services to individuals, communities, organizations, and agencies on the Rosebud and Yankton Sioux tribal nations.
In order for prevention services to benefit Native individuals living on reservations, the services must be provided on a local basis for the individual to become empowered to become an active participant to ensure such supports are available on an on going basis in the community.
The purpose of the prevention services is to strengthen youth and adults, their families and communities to avoid alcohol and drug addiction and abuse. Prevention curriculum is offered to help youth and adults learn more effective ways of interacting with their family and community in order to stop violence and decrease the number of Native Americans with disabilities resulting from alcohol, drugs and violence.
Provision of prevention services to individuals:
v Increase community capacity to address drinking and violence by youth
v Increase educational opportunities, technical assistance and training on prevention approaches to enhance targeted district knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively impact ATOD (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs) problems
v Increase opportunities for Native American youth to plan, develop, and implement culturally specific and faith based ATOD activities and alternatives to drug use.
v To educate and reduce the acceptance of substance abuse within the targeted tribal districts
Collaboration with tribal/state/federal agencies promotes community involvement by facilitating or assisting with policy development planning on tribal nations. Organizing and participating in training events, information, and technical assistance to targeted tribal districts. Provide youth in targeted tribal districts with training and skills. Increase the knowledge of the consequences of alcohol and other drug consumption/abuse by youth and adults.
Community Prevention Services are provided to support and encourage individuals to identify and utilize various services and programs available that promote, encourage, and facilitate non-violent change through living violence/alcohol/drug free lifestyles.
Community Prevention Services are provided to empower individuals in their home, community or at work. Strategies to achieve these goals include:
v Culturally specific and faith based community based processes
v Environmental Approaches
v Dissemination of Information
v Cultural and faith based alternative activities
v Prevention Education
v Problem Identification and Referral
Oko Iyohi Mniciyapi (meeting weekly) – afterschool/in school programming
Sunka WakanOtakuye (horse knowledge) – Equine assisted life skills
Nacan Iyecel Opi'iciyapi (campers engaging in leadership)
Wokiglegapi – Passage Into Adulthood
Oniya Wastepi (Breathing is Good) – Tobacco prevention
State Accredited Prevention Services
Staff
Megan L. Garcia Prevention Specialist
Prevspec1@nativeamericanadvocacy.org
Steven A. Tamayo Cultural Activities Specialist