10th Native Women & Men's Wellness .pdf - American Indian Institute

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Session 5 – Tuesday, March 29, 2011
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Alvarado B • How to Provide HIV Prevention Services to Youth in Areas or
Communities with Limited Resources
Kayla Walker (Choctaw)
Founder & HIV Instructor/Educator – Mama Knows, Inc.
This workshop will demonstrate how to engage youth in HIV prevention, and ways to help them become
more aware of consequences related to high risk behaviors. Participants will learn how to identify a problem
associated with HIV/AIDS (e.g. teen pregnancy or substance abuse), and then facilitate a discussion regarding
knowledge gaps, misconceptions, and health disparities in American Indian/Alaska Native populations. After
gaining a basic understanding of HIV/AIDS, participants will learn how to incorporate the medicine wheel goal
setting technique, and how to create a fun atmosphere free of judgment and discrimination. This planning
model may be used to address any health disparity, and participants can change it to fit the needs of their
organization or entity.
Alvarado C • The Path to Accessibility: Tips for Helping Deaf, Hard of
Hearing, Late-Deafened and Deaf-Blind Tribal Members Obtain Spiritual
and Physical Wellness*
Mark Azure (Chippewa-Cree/Dakota/Tsimshian)
Consultant & Spiritual Nourishment Provider – Sacred Circle
Tribal members who experience hearing loss are just like any other tribal member; they need spiritual,
medical, traditional and historical information in order to feed their mind, body and spirit. Communication is
vital to continue important bonds between family and tribal members. Often tribal members who are deaf
and are not able to participate in community events such as pow wows, traditional ceremonies or prayers
find themselves isolated and eventually stray into non-tribal communities or unhealthy environments to
search the fulfillment they need. Losing tribal members in this way breaks important bonds, and the tribe
loses another member to the outside world. For example, an elder who has important lifelong history about
tradition, medicine or family information, and loses their hearing later in life, may find that they are unable to
share vital information with the tribe. A solution to this situation would be to provide note takers, captioners or
have the elder work with tribal members in a 1 to 1, rather than group environment. This workshop will provide
the audience with information on the different communication needs of tribal members who are born deaf,
experience both blindness and deafness, or lose their hearing later in life. Different scenarios will be presented
with methods for ensuring that information is shared in the best way to match a communication type.
*Repeated: Session 8, Alvarado B
Alvarado F • Healing from Within
Marilynn Jones-Parker, Ph.D. (Absentee Shawnee)
Director of Behavioral Health - Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
The presentation will focus on the use of bio-feedback in the behavioral health unit to address multiple
symptoms related to mental health. These techniques help focus on a wellness approach, opposed to an
illness model. The use of bio-feedback has many components that are utilized in our facility; however we
will be demonstrating “healing rhythms” as one of the techniques that are used. This program incorporates
creative visualization in the relaxation process. Most of the programs that are used in our clinic are based on
breathing techniques that enhance the ability to cope with stressors. We utilize a holistic health approach,
utilizing our sensory systems to address healthy lifestyles to induce relaxation and decrease stress. In
essence, we will introduce how we can use our five senses, teaching alternative ways to decrease stress and
promote wellness.