The purpose of this grant is to provide tribal and urban Indian communities with tools and resources to plan and design a holistic, community-based system of care to support mental health and wellness for their children, youth and families.

It is my recommendation that the Oregon Indian Youth and Elder Curriculum Council approach its learning opportunities and its development of curriculum in a way to facilitate the preparation of this multi-year grant.

How could this be done?

• The Elders Interview project captures audio and video material deemed appropriate two-way street with exchanges of knowledge coming from both the youth and the elder.  Could it be possible for these exchanges to focus a small percentage of their time to talk about substance abuse and mental health issues in their local community?
  
  
• The Generations Project offers activities and groups for both Native youth and adults to encourage the formation of lasting families and healthy relationships.  Could it be possible to focus a small percentage of these activities to explore the values and attitudes expressed in traditional Native child rearing practices and apply those values to address substance abuse and mental health issues.  Can valuable lessons will be learned from the old ways and find strength discussing cultural traditions.
  
  
• NARA NW has received a three year Circles of Care grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The Council could expand on that groups efforts to improve relationships between providers.  It could also use the model created to build a successful technical training program, combine the audio and video material with the NARA NW material to create a culturally appropriate educational program focused towards the regions overall behavioral health system.