United Tribes ) Michigan - Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

SUMMARY OF IDENTIFIED ISSUES
The interviews, dialogues and survey results with Michigan stakeholders and Kellogg
Foundation grantees revealed patterns of key issues and themes across multiple tribal
communities that are critical to the context of Native children and families:
• General
o Economic development, natural resources and water issues;
• Healthy food, nutrition and adequate health/wellness services
• Culture as a protective factor for children, a path to healing for families,
and a vehicle for rebuilding tribal nations and communities
o Revitalizing culture and language and developing culturally based
approaches;
o Considering the cultural dimensions of evidence-based practice, given the
increasing role of such evidence in resource allocation;
o Providing opportunities for Native people to explore issues of intergenerational
trauma and grief as part of the healing process; and
o Supporting a return to tribal traditions and core cultural values ("7
Grandfather Teachings") to guide how families and communities should
function and provide mutual support.
• Increasing quality of child and family services
o Promoting early intervention through home visiting and parent education!
support;
o Connecting Native people more effectively to existing services and
resources, while improving outreach and de-stigmatizing requests for
assistance;
o Finding more Native foster homes and parents;
o Promoting greater collaboration, responsiveness and effectiveness of
existing programs;
o Increasing child outcomes by strengthening families and using
intergenerational approaches; and
o Making the case for increased attention on early learning & development.
• Building capacity, supporting effective leaders and achieving strong tribal
nations
o Supporting tribal agencies in Indian child welfare/social services as well as
tribal court systems, in order to more effectively support children and
families and to protect tribal sovereignty.
o Supporting capacity-building (e.g., research and data, project
management, grantwriting) relative to addressing the trend in more
competitive public and private grants funding, as well as to employing
evidence-based approaches and integrating such approaches with
indigenous approaches and values;
o Supporting increased civic capacity of Native communities to capitalize on
philanthropic traditions through service, volunteerism and nonprofit
channels; and
o Supporting leadership development of emerging leaders, child
practitioners and others.
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