The Youth and Elders Council began as part of a regional effort to reduce poverty in urban Indian communities. The Council works to energize local communities to join in a "community of interest" of off-reservation tribal peoples. Together this community of interest used community-based research and inclusive community input to develop greater community ties and improve the quality of life for Native Americans in urban areas. Through the practice of traditional values, the Youth and Elders Council continues to address poverty and other community issues by focusing on community solutions to housing, employment, education, health, and racism while building on community strengths.

It is my recommendation that the “Proposed Partnership” between ODE and OIEA’s Oregon Indian Curriculum Committee include the students participating in the technical instruction program.  I specifically advocate that ODE provide a facilitator role for a new committee modeled after the Youth and Elder Council.  This new committee would be called “The Oregon Indian Youth and Elder Curriculum Council”.

The charge of the Oregon Indian Youth and Elder Curriculum Council would be to:

• Create a digit/video archive for material determined important to the Oregon Indian communities.
• Build an in-house ability to develop/adapt curriculum with an Oregon Indian perspective.
•  Focus efforts in specific projects like
• Elders Interviewing
• The Generations Project
• Applying for funding opportunities to address community issues such as Substance Abuse and Mental Health