Tag: community

Partners in education, building community

“I heard three different kids say, ‘man those guys were fun’ when talking about the police officers. They didn’t come here to be scary, they came here to be community members supporting our kids and our students took notice of that.”- Chrissy Dulik Dalos, Manager, Marysville School District Indian Education Department
“I heard three different kids say, ‘man those guys were fun’ when talking about the police officers. They didn’t come here to be scary, they came here to be community members supporting our kids and our students took notice of that.”
– Chrissy Dulik Dalos, Manager, Marysville School District Indian Education Department

 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

There is a saying at Totem Middle School, PRIDE in our Learning and POWER in our Actions. Normally a saying applied to only the students and faculty, it took a much larger scale on Thursday, March 17, as it was applied to a sense of community.

During the normal scheduled 6th, 7th, and 8th grade lunch times, Totem Middle School welcomed all family and community members of Native students to enjoy a complimentary lunch while visiting with the middle-schoolers. It provided a perfect opportunity to stay connected with students, faculty, and friends while building something much larger – student success and identity safety.

“Part of identity safety is looking around the school and seeing people who look like you, knowing those around you, and feeling comfortable in a familiar setting,” says Chrissy Dulik Dalos, manager of the Indian Education Department for Marysville School District. “Our Native students go from being 80 percent of the population at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary to 20 percent here at Totem Middle School. We have to be vigilant that our Native students feel they are in an identity safe environment and one way of doing that is to ensure they recognize how important they are to our school’s community.”

 

Totem-lunch2

 

Fostering a sense of community while also helping to bolster identity safety was particularly achieved by way of a simple open invite to have lunch. In order to get community members who Native students are comfortable with at their school and responsive to the invite, school officials went with the lunch hour. Understanding that a lot of folks are preoccupied in the late afternoon and evening hours, and not to pry into hours that may already be reserved, the time slot of 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. was chosen.

“We chose the lunch strategy to see if we could get more people involved,” continued Chrissy. “I think it paid off. We ended up with about 65 people that joined our students for lunch. That’s pretty phenomenal.”

That’s 65 Tulalip community members made up of family, friends, staff, Board of Directors, and law enforcements officers who took time out of their busy day to connect with the students. Spanning the lunch time, community members could be seen sharing a meal with the students, playing pool and foosball with them, simply chit-chatting, and even sharing in the craze that is March Madness. Students are allowed to use their Chomebooks for entertainment during their lunch. A few of the students managed to stream March Madness games and found themselves sharing their computer screens with several very attentive adults.

“For me, as an administrator, I have a strong belief that school is the center of the community, and this school has a unique location serving unique populations from Marysville and Tulalip,” explains Tarra Patrick, Principal of Totem. “So how do we create a situation where it is reconnected to the community? There is a power in breaking bread together. If you are a student here and you see your family come in and you see the principal and teachers deferring to your family, then you realize your family can come and advocate for you. This is an opportunity for the kids to also see the bridge between the school faculty, the students and their families, that’s what makes us a community.”

It really does all add up. Whether openly acknowledged or not, the Native students of Totem saw how many of their family and community members took the opportunity to spend time with them. And isn’t that what kids need the most? To feel valued by the adults around them, to know that they are important and that they matter. It’s not the sound of our words, but the POWER in our Actions that determines this.

We are all partners in education. From the teachers, secretaries, food preparers, maintenance workers, to family and friends we all have one common goal and that’s to see our students succeed. When we work together, every child can succeed in school.

Principal Tarra upholds that we all play a vital role in the success of our children and students as she stated, “It’s going to take the entire community together to support all of our students in order to help them be successful. That’s what today was about. It was just community, in this building, and it was absolutely beautiful.”

 

 

Contact Micheal Rios: trios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Stand together, build together Your Voice. Your community.

GONA web

 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

 

February 25-27, the Tulalip Tribes hosted their very own Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) at the Don Hatch Youth Center. Our three-day GONA was an event inspired to bring our community together to work on creating a vision for a healthy community.

Tulalip was fortunate to be nominated as one of the eight tribes in the United States by the Indian Health Service to serve as a Community Partnership grantee. As a grantee, Tulalip received the materials and resources necessary to undergo an intense community training and technical assistance that became our GONA.

GONA is for Native Americans and others who want to become change agents, community developers, and leaders. The four parts of GONA (Belonging, Mastery, Interdependence, and Generosity) incorporate the values of four levels of human growth and responsibility that are found in Native cultures.

Based on several ideas:

  • Community healing is necessary for substance abuse prevention;
  • Healthy traditions in our community are key to effective prevention;
  • The holistic approach to wellness is a traditional part of our belief systems;
  • Every community member is of value in empowering the community; and
  • GONA is a safe place to share, heal, and plan for action.

The three-day event focused on increasing the strengths of Native youth and community, healing the past and building the future. Over the last few years, countless GONAs have been held all over North America. Thousands of Native people from hundreds of tribes with their friends, families, and communities have experienced the powerful, culturally-centered training and resources GONA offers.

Through the four components of Belonging, Mastery, Interdependence, and Generosity we start to examine how to be an active participant in our own life and in creating a healthy community.

 

GONA_1

 

Belonging. Day 1 of Tulalip’s GONA started off by building and strengthening the sense of team, family and community. A place for all ages, a place for all kinds of people. The first day represents infancy and childhood, a time when we need to know how we belong. It is the most important first lesson a person must learn to live comfortable and to work effectively.

Mastery. After dinner, day 1 moved to the component of gaining mastery and healing from what holds us back. Empowerment, for the individual and community. This second stage honors adolescence as a time of vision and mastery. Understanding our Tulalip communities and the local contexts that inform work in partnership with other tribes/communities/governments.

Interdependence. Day 2 was dedicated to working together interdependently for positive change. A day of action and community leadership. The third stage is symbolized by adults, integral and interdepending within their families and communities. How do we interconnect with our environment and social network of our community?

Generosity. Day 3, the final day of our GONA was all about giving back to self and community. The final stage honors our elders, who give their knowledge and teaching to our generations of the future. Looking at our responsibilities to give back to our communities and share graciously.

During each day, GONA attendees participated in various team breakout activities, heard and told stories integral to our culture, and helped to create individual affirmations and community goals.

 

GONA_2

 

Storytelling is traditional for Native peoples. Oral histories and legends were used to transmit knowledge, teachings, and values from one generation to the next. During GONA, storytelling was used to convey the same teachings as we heard, valued, and respected everyone’s contributions while establishing a foundation for a community-wide prevention plan.

The group and team activities were all exercises that demonstrated the core components and helped participants identify some of the rituals or ceremonies from Tulalip culture that have helped our community to remain healthy and in balance. The activities also provided everyone with the opportunity to embrace wellness while recognizing the importance of traditional healing practices.

 

 

 Contact Micheal Rios: mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Tulalip healing – intervening on youth trauma

By Kara Briggs-Campbell, Tulalip News 

“I love you too much to let you hurt yourself,” Robert Macy, a psychologist who works international trauma relief, said as he talked to the Tulalip tribal community about how to interrupt the thoughts of a youth who is considering killing themselves.

Macy, who is president of the International Trauma Center in Boston, met Thursday, December 4 with tribal member families, tribal staff and staff from area schools, to share techniques of traumatic incident stress interventions. Macy and a team of 100 specialists have worked in communities worldwide after natural disasters, terrorist acts and violent events.

Any effort to bring healing to the trauma that the Tulalip community feels will be built upon a combination of “Western medical practice, international tribal techniques for healing, and Tulalip’s own creativity and ingenuity,” Macy said.

At Macy’s request, no names or direct quotes from those who participated in sessions on Thursday will be shared in this article. Macy made this request out of concern that tribal members and staff be able to speak freely about their concerns in a confidential setting. Instead, the focus of this article is on Macy’s techniques for treating youth in trauma and helping communities with a history of trauma.

“After a traumatic event, your body goes into a higher level of adrenaline to absorb the shock,” he said. “Your adrenaline in this community was elevated for several weeks with the deaths and funerals.”

Your body’s emergency response to a threat is a good thing when there is a threat, but it’s a problem when the danger is gone and the child or adult can’t calm down to go to sleep or go to school or work. This is a sign that the nervous system is flooded with chemicals that keep you on edge and don’t let you calm down.

In this state of trauma, a fishnet, speaking figuratively, must be unfurled to catch every youth and every child who is reeling from the unexplainable and unimaginable events of the past weeks, or the past months and years when other violent traumatic events impacted the tribal community.

“We don’t look for the kids who look like they are the ones in trouble,” Macy said. “We look at all the kids.”

To do this, Macy’s groups works with the community to create and train teams of community members, “from the bus driver to the bartender,” and from the mental health staff to the parents, to intervene with kids and cope with conversation.

It begins with, are you thinking of hurting yourself?  “I say to teens, don’t go into that dark corner, don’t go in there alone. Don’t let the light go out,” he said. “I love you too much to let you hurt yourself. The elders love you too much. Invoke the tribe. The tribe loves you too much to let you hurt yourself.”

With youth who are considering suicide, Macy said, “They are thinking, ‘I am dirty and disgusting. The world will be a better place without me.’” Amid those thoughts, suicide might seem to be the only option for some. The intervention is that there are more options.

At the same time, Macy advised that the Tulalip community agree and communicate that suicide is not only a bad choice, but it is also a taboo that is unacceptable in this community, he said.

For parents and trusted adults, he said it is important to find out what your kid really cares about, what matters the most to them. To do this requires the adult to come to a non-judgmental place of compassion and calm, because what the kid shares might be revolting to you. But finding this out will make a bridge that will help you reach your child, he said.

Some youth may need hospitalization, some may need medicine, and many others simply need outpatient counseling, programs and community engagement. The good news is that trauma is highly treatable as long as it isn’t suppressed and silenced.

“Trauma that is silenced will end in violence,” Macy said.

No decisions have been made by the Tulalip Tribes about what the next steps will be.

Macy said the important thing is to look at the strengths the Tulalip community has, including the resiliency of the Tulalip ancestors, the loving tribal children and parents, and the Tulalip community that is committed to finding a path to healing.

 

Where to call for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

The Tulalip Tribes’ Behavioral Health Family Services has worked tirelessly since the tragic shooting on Oct. 24 to provide mental wellness to anyone in the tribal community who needs help. Behavioral Health also knows that in crisis, people need help around the clock. Here is a list of the phone numbers with descriptions about the focus of each crisis line.

To report an emergency dial 911

On the Tulalip Reservation and in Marysville, our 9-1-1 calls are answered by SNOPAC, a regional public safety communications center that receives law enforcement, fire and medical 9-1-1 calls for 37 different Snohomish County jurisdictions. It’s staff of “highly trained and dedicated professionals are available 24x7x365,” as stated on SNOPAC’s website. SNOPAC’s Core Values are Integrity, Respect, Professionalism and Teamwork. Learn more at http://www.snopac911.us/.

National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

The National Suicide Prevention Line, http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/, is a crisis center in the Lifeline Network. After you call, you will hear a message saying you have reached the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Then you will hear hold music while your call is routed to a skilled, trained crisis worker who will listen to your problem. “No matter what problems you are dealing with, we want to help you find a reason to keep living. By calling, you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7.”

Snohomish County Crisis Line: 1-800-584-3578

The Snohomish County Crisis Line connects callers with a mental health clinician, who will provide emotional support and crisis intervention to individuals in crisis or considering suicide. In addition to the 24 Hour Crisis Line, an online chat also offers crisis services through Care Crisis Chat for those who prefer to access care via the Internet. Learn more at http://www.voaww.org/Get-Help/Behavioral-Health-Services – sthash.uKHLCR79.dpuf.

Crisis TEXT Line: Text “Listen” to 741-741

The Crisis TEXT Line, http://www.crisistextline.org/get-help-now/, states, “Millions of teens are quietly suffering every day. They struggle with bullying, homophobia, suicidal thoughts and more. The solution is beautifully simple: We provide crisis intervention services to teens via a medium they already use and trust: text. And we use insights from our work to develop and share innovations in prevention, treatment, and long-term care.” It is a program of DoSomething.org, one of the largest non-profit organizations for young people and social change.

24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-866-427-4747

Based in King County, the Crisis Line provides crisis assistance. “We need to talk with you directly on the phone.  By talking with you anonymously and confidentially, we are best able to work with you to find help,” the Crisis Line states on its website, http://crisisclinic.org.

TEENLINK: 1-866-833-6546

Based in Seattle and open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly, TEENLINK puts teens in touch with professionally trained youth volunteers, ranging in age from 15 to 20. “If you need to talk, our volunteers are there to listen and help you find youth-friendly resources in our community,” the TEENLINK website states. About 10 percent of callers are considering suicide, the other 90 percent want to talk about topics such as relationships, problems at school, drugs and alcohol, self harm, grief and loss, dating violence, family problems, eating disorders, and much more. For more information visit, http://866teenlink.org/about-teen-link

Marysville Pilchuck High School seeking community volunteers

By Kim Kalliber, Tulalip News

Marysville Pilchuck High School staff are working to get back on track with regular class schedules following the tragic shooting on October 24.  While grief counselors are still on hand to help students cope with the aftermath, they are turning to the community for help in ensuring students feel comfortable at the school. Family and community members are encouraged to pay a visit to the campus, whether it is to talk or just be a safe, adult presence.

“We are in need of parent, family and community member volunteers to be on campus, to help out in the lunchroom and front offices where the counseling continues. It’s good for the students to see familiar faces, even to just come eat lunch with them,” said Matt Remle, Native American liaison for MPHS.

“Some kids may be angry or depressed, or both. Staff understands that everyone grieves differently. It’s going to take time and I don’t think you can put a timeline on grieving.”

Remle goes on to explain that while increased adult presence is helpful during a crisis, it’s valued all year long.  “It’s always good to have community members and tribal members and leaders visit the school, to bring a bit of Tulalip to the campus.”

If you’d like to volunteer, volunteer packets can be picked up at the MPHS front office.  For more information on the Marysville School District, visit www.msvl.k12.wa.us.

Where to celebrate Fourth of July

Annie Mulligan / For the heraldA red-white-and-blue-decorated truck carries people in the same colors down Fifth Avenue in Edmonds during the city's Fourth of July parade in 2012.
Annie Mulligan / For the herald
A red-white-and-blue-decorated truck carries people in the same colors down Fifth Avenue in Edmonds during the city’s Fourth of July parade in 2012.

Source: The Herald

From Edmonds to Arlington, Fourth of July festivities will flourish throughout Snohomish County with parades, fireworks, live music, barbecues and family activities.

In Everett, the Colors of Freedom celebration has many free events, such as the downtown parade, which starts at 11 a.m. on Colby and Wetmore avenues, between Wall and 26th streets, and includes marching bands, clowns, and dance and drill teams.

The Colors of Freedom Festival runs from 1 to 11 p.m. at Legion Memorial Park, 145 Alverson Blvd.; there will be live music, a food fair and kids’ activities. There is no parking at Legion Park, so ride free on Everett Transit shuttles and buses.

Other events in Everett:

Thunder on the Bay Fireworks: 10:20 p.m. Best viewing locations are Grand Avenue Park, 1800 Grand Ave., and Legion Memorial Park, 145 Alverson Blvd.

Everett, Fun in the Sun Street Fair: noon to 3 p.m, live music, car show, pony rides and other children’s entertainment at First Baptist Church, 1616 Pacific Ave.; free; 425-259-9166; www.fbc-everett.org.

Everett AquaSox baseball: 7:05 p.m., Everett Memorial Stadium, 3900 Broadway; opponent is the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes; post-game fireworks planned; tickets at www.aquasox.com.

Comcast Community Ice Rink, Fire on Ice: 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., 2000 Hewitt Ave.; $4 admission includes skate rental; barbecue outside arena; 425-322-2600; www.comcastarenaeverett.com.

Star-Spangled celebration: Imagine Children’s Museum, 1502 Wall St., open noon to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $9 for everyone older than 1; free admission for active military families; patriotic hatmaking and other activities; 425-258-1006; www.imaginecm.org.

Yankee Doodle Dash: 1 mile, 5K and 10K races on July 4 at Everett Family YMCA, 2720 Rockefeller Ave.; register at your local branch or online at www.ymca-snoco.org/ydd; day of registration opens at 7 a.m. July 4. YMCA members get a price break.
Race start times: 10K 8:30 a.m.; 5K, 8:45 a.m.; 1 mile, 8:55 a.m.

Naval Station Everett has cancelled events this year.

For more information on Everett events, call 425-257-8700 or go to www.ci.everett.wa.us.

Other July Fourth celebrations throughout the county:

Arlington: Frontier Days Fourth of July at Haller Park, 1100 West Ave., unless noted below; 360-403-3448; www.arlingtonwa.gov.

7 to 10 a.m. pancake breakfast.

8 to 9 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. start for Pedal, Paddle, Puff Triathalon.

8:30 and 10 a.m. silent auctions, noon live auction.

Noon to 4:30 p.m., carnival games, Legion Park.

1 to 3 p.m., Lions Club apple pie social.

4:30 p.m. kid parade, registration at 3:30 p.m. at PUD, 210 Division St.

5 p.m. grand parade, Olympic Avenue.

7:30 p.m. Rotary Duck Dash.

9 p.m. fireworks, seating at Boys & Girls Club, 18513 59th Ave. NE.

Bothell: Grand parade starts at noon; routes proceed west on Main Street and then north on Bothell-Everett Highway to NE 188th Street.

Children’s parade for up to age 12 starts at 11:15 a.m. Parents must accompany children or arrange to meet them at the end. Start area for children and grand parades is at 104th Avenue and Main Street.

Pancake breakfast: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Bothell Downtown Firehouse, 10726 Beardslee Blvd; 425-486-7430; www.ci.bothell.wa.us.

Camano Island: Terry’s Corner, 3 p.m., at Sunrise Boulevard and Highway 532 (East Camano Drive); live music, Korean War remembrance by veterans; children’s play area; free; 360-629-0132.

Darrington: Hometown Parade: noon lineup at the community center for 1 p.m. start. Proceed down Darrington Street toward Mountain Loop Highway and end at Old School Park on Alvord Street. Family activities and live entertainment to follow; fireworks at dusk; free; 360-436-1131, www.darringtonwatourism.com.

An Edmonds Kind of Fourth: All events free; www.edmondswa.com.

  • Fun run 10 a.m.
  • Children’s parade 11:30 a.m. at Fifth Avenue and Walnut.
  • Grand parade noon, starting at Sixth and Main streets.
  • Edmonds firefighters waterball competition, 2:30 p.m., Third Avenue S. and Pine.
  • Evening entertainment and food vendors at 7:30 p.m. at Civic Stadium, Sixth and Bell.
  • Fireworks at 10 p.m. at Civic Stadium.

Mountlake Terrace: The city is hosting a Family Fourth of July event featuring a professional fireworks show thanks to the financial support of the community. The event begins with musical entertainment at 8 p.m. at Evergreen Playfield, followed by the fireworks show shortly after 10 p.m. Guests are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 p.m. to get a good spot and bring a picnic dinner to enjoy while they wait for the entertainment to begin.

Evergreen Playfield No. 6 is located just south of 224th Street SW and 56th Ave. W. Parking is available on the street, at Evergreen Playfield, 22205 56th Ave. W and the Recreation Pavilion, 5303 228th St. SW; pets and personal fireworks are not allowed at this event. For more information, call recreation manager Jeff Betz at 425-640-3101.

Local police departments introduce ‘Business Watch’

Kirk BoxleitnerMarysville Police Chief Rick Smith hopes the ‘Business Watch’ program, in partnership with the Tulalip Tribal Police Department, will help area merchants and retailers safeguard themselves from crime.
Kirk Boxleitner
Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith hopes the ‘Business Watch’ program, in partnership with the Tulalip Tribal Police Department, will help area merchants and retailers safeguard themselves from crime.

Kirk Boxleitner, The Marysville Globe

TULALIP — Members of the Marysville and Tulalip Tribal police departments introduced their “Business Watch” program to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on Friday, May 31, but while they pledge to provide resources and consultation to the program, they made clear to the Chamber members that the “Business Watch” is the community’s program more than it is the police departments’ program.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world, between difficult fiscal times and manmade and natural disasters,” Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith said. “We hope this will bring some certainty back to your lives.”

“As the primary law enforcement for Quil Ceda Village, I understand the importance of business to the community as a whole,” Tulalip Tribal Police Deputy Chief Carlos Echevarria said.

Recently promoted Marysville Police Lt. Mark Thomas, whom Smith touted as a creative people-person, presented the bulk of the program, which he compared to the Marysville Volunteers Program of the Marysville Police Department.

“Perfection is unattainable, but in its pursuit, we find excellence,” Thomas said. “Every good police officer has the goal of driving crime down far enough to put himself out of a job. Realistically, that’s not attainable, but we do excellent work by pursuing that goal.”

To that end, the Business Watch program is designed to work by encouraging businesses to focus on ways they can safeguard themselves from being victimized by crime, with credit card fraud, forgery and shoplifting ranking along the primary illegal perils that they face.

“The Business Watch will never be made into a Hollywood action film,” Thomas laughed. “It’s a coalition of individuals who get together to take care of simple things that might make them vulnerable. Shoplifting alone costs retailers more than $13 billion a year.”

Not only will Business Watches run on the partnerships between businesses, and between businesses and their respective police departments, but Thomas also encouraged Business Watches to forge partnerships with the school district and community service organizations.

“It’s a platform to help teach merchants to crime-proof their own properties, watch over their neighbors’ property, and report and document any suspicious behavior,” Thomas said. “The Business Watch philosophy is straightforward; take control of what happens in your community, and lessen your chances of becoming a victim.”

Among the habits that Thomas identified as contributing to successful groups, Thomas advised Business Watch members to promote communication between law enforcement and business, encourage cooperation among merchants and offer training to their employees.

Thomas broke down the process of creating a Business Watch into five steps, starting with forming a committee to list potential problems in their area, followed by involving law enforcement.

“We can provide training and data on what kinds of crimes are common to your areas, so that you can focus your resources properly,” Thomas said. “From there, you should conduct a survey of your fellow businesses, to identify the issues that you face and establish your common interests.”

According to Thomas, every Business Watch should be launched with a kickoff event, lasting about 45 minutes at a place and time that’s convenient for everyone, after which the Business Watch’s first official meeting should include plenty of questions and answers, to ensure that all of its participants are getting what they want out of the group.

“The difference between a good idea and a great idea is follow-through,” Thomas said. “We can provide you with the tools, but it’s not our place to go out and impose a Business Watch on you. You guys have to pull that together yourselves.”

For more information, contact Thomas at 360-363-8321 or mthomas@marysvillewa.gov, Echevarria at 360-716-4608 or cechevarria@tulaliptribalpolice.org, or Business Watch Coordinator Bob Rise at 360-363-8325 or mvp@marysvillewa.gov.