WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.330 --> 00:00:02.550 - [Joe Walker] As part of a Children's Bureau initiative 2 00:00:02.550 --> 00:00:05.520 to raise awareness of Tribally engaged prevention 3 00:00:05.520 --> 00:00:07.440 and intervention efforts, 4 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.290 the Center for Native Child and Family Resilience partnered 5 00:00:10.290 --> 00:00:12.600 with five Tribal organizations, 6 00:00:12.600 --> 00:00:15.720 including Indian Health Council, Incorporated 7 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:19.620 to identify and enhance culturally-based programs 8 00:00:19.620 --> 00:00:23.310 designed to strengthen community and family resilience 9 00:00:23.310 --> 00:00:27.330 in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. 10 00:00:27.330 --> 00:00:29.610 The center is committed to building the evidence base 11 00:00:29.610 --> 00:00:31.740 of Tribal child welfare knowledge 12 00:00:31.740 --> 00:00:35.520 and practice through evaluation and sharing 13 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:38.400 the knowledge gained through these projects with the field. 14 00:00:38.400 --> 00:00:41.700 The IHC is a healthcare consortium 15 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:44.340 of nine federally recognized Tribes, 16 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:48.000 located in an 1,800-square-mile service area 17 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.460 within North San Diego County. 18 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:51.420 It has operated 19 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:56.420 as a 501c3 nonprofit organization since 1970, 20 00:00:57.690 --> 00:01:00.660 with a mission to continually nurture a balance 21 00:01:00.660 --> 00:01:05.283 of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. 22 00:01:06.450 --> 00:01:08.550 As part of their goal to empower 23 00:01:08.550 --> 00:01:10.860 and nurture Native family wellness, 24 00:01:10.860 --> 00:01:14.318 IHC has a major emphasis on community building 25 00:01:14.318 --> 00:01:17.599 and continuously builds collaborative relationships 26 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:20.610 with the greater Native community. 27 00:01:20.610 --> 00:01:22.770 - We were starting off with child welfare, 28 00:01:22.770 --> 00:01:25.560 Indian child welfare and chasing court cases 29 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:27.600 and kids in foster care. 30 00:01:27.600 --> 00:01:30.450 And once they entered into foster care, 31 00:01:30.450 --> 00:01:32.850 it was really difficult to get them out 32 00:01:32.850 --> 00:01:34.350 and get them back with families. 33 00:01:34.350 --> 00:01:37.050 And sometimes, families didn't reunify. 34 00:01:37.050 --> 00:01:39.540 And I just started thinking, 35 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:43.020 how can we do this work and prevent them 36 00:01:43.020 --> 00:01:47.490 from ever getting into the eye of Child Welfare Services? 37 00:01:47.490 --> 00:01:50.160 And to me, that meant working 38 00:01:50.160 --> 00:01:54.240 the immediate assistance and court cases, 39 00:01:54.240 --> 00:01:56.580 the middle of that, and doing prevention work, 40 00:01:56.580 --> 00:01:58.920 but doing like pre-prevention work 41 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:03.570 and working with mothers who were just becoming pregnant 42 00:02:03.570 --> 00:02:05.220 or starting out with their families, 43 00:02:05.220 --> 00:02:07.410 and starting with young families 44 00:02:07.410 --> 00:02:10.860 and trying to teach them communication skills 45 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:12.990 and good parenting skills 46 00:02:12.990 --> 00:02:14.910 and kind of going back to our culture 47 00:02:14.910 --> 00:02:16.710 and how we did things before 48 00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:19.140 to prevent them from ever getting into the eye 49 00:02:19.140 --> 00:02:21.330 of Child Welfare Services. 50 00:02:21.330 --> 00:02:24.690 - I was already in the curriculum development 51 00:02:24.690 --> 00:02:29.690 as a consultant, so I was helping create the curriculum. 52 00:02:30.444 --> 00:02:33.570 I was paired with Art Martinez 53 00:02:33.570 --> 00:02:36.510 to do the lessons of the East. 54 00:02:36.510 --> 00:02:41.510 And so once Maria decided that she was gonna move on, 55 00:02:42.930 --> 00:02:45.330 that's when I jumped into the position 56 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:49.773 and took on the role of the second My Two Auntie. 57 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:56.240 So the program in of itself is just amazing 58 00:02:56.670 --> 00:03:01.670 in the sense that we get to follow the gestation of a child 59 00:03:04.020 --> 00:03:09.020 into birth, and then up until the first year of life. 60 00:03:09.480 --> 00:03:13.590 And we get to see all those brilliant milestones, 61 00:03:13.590 --> 00:03:15.540 getting them ready for delivery, 62 00:03:15.540 --> 00:03:20.100 and easing their minds about all the different things 63 00:03:20.100 --> 00:03:21.780 that happen through pregnancy. 64 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:23.910 And is like, "I gained 10 pounds!" 65 00:03:23.910 --> 00:03:28.270 In our work, we found that a lot of our youth 66 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:31.713 didn't have the connection to the culture. 67 00:03:32.845 --> 00:03:37.845 With removal and with just generational trauma, 68 00:03:39.287 --> 00:03:41.610 and generational or historical trauma 69 00:03:41.610 --> 00:03:46.170 a lot of families have lost their culture. 70 00:03:46.170 --> 00:03:49.800 And so this is a way of regenerating that tie 71 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:54.073 to the community and reculturalization. (laughs) 72 00:03:56.550 --> 00:03:59.730 So it's bringing people back into the fray. 73 00:03:59.730 --> 00:04:02.400 It's taking them, it's bringing them back. 74 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:05.310 It's throwing them a life jacket 75 00:04:05.310 --> 00:04:10.310 in the sense that they didn't have these tools 76 00:04:11.130 --> 00:04:13.080 when they were growing up, 77 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:16.177 and therefore, now here we are saying, 78 00:04:16.177 --> 00:04:20.880 "Here take this book in your language. 79 00:04:20.880 --> 00:04:22.503 Learn your language. 80 00:04:23.340 --> 00:04:24.840 Teach it to your children. 81 00:04:24.840 --> 00:04:27.180 Make it their favorite bedtime story. 82 00:04:27.180 --> 00:04:31.724 Here, here's a song that you can sing during diaper changes. 83 00:04:31.724 --> 00:04:36.724 Here is a lullaby when they are at unrest." 84 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:42.120 Because we know that language, that connection, 85 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:46.230 the culture speaks to our spirit. 86 00:04:46.230 --> 00:04:48.960 - That stigma has been very hard to overturn 87 00:04:48.960 --> 00:04:52.200 because of the trust, and for good reason. 88 00:04:52.200 --> 00:04:54.300 In our community, there was a lot of distrust. 89 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:58.293 And we were seen as working with the enemy, 90 00:04:59.250 --> 00:05:02.500 and not really seen as, Child Welfare Services 91 00:05:03.414 --> 00:05:07.620 was a department that was there to help people. 92 00:05:07.620 --> 00:05:09.870 That was really hard to convince people 93 00:05:09.870 --> 00:05:13.050 because they were the people who would take children away. 94 00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:17.460 So by developing a project that worked alongside 95 00:05:17.460 --> 00:05:18.900 with Child Welfare, 96 00:05:18.900 --> 00:05:21.960 we were able to train those Child Welfare workers 97 00:05:21.960 --> 00:05:24.390 into working with our community in a way 98 00:05:24.390 --> 00:05:27.870 where our community was acceptant, accepting them. 99 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:30.150 - So maybe there's a bully at school. 100 00:05:30.150 --> 00:05:35.150 And mom and dad are gonna go in as Mama Bear and Papa Bear, 101 00:05:37.020 --> 00:05:40.740 and maybe it's not at that point yet. 102 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:44.760 So you're trying to find somebody to guide you 103 00:05:44.760 --> 00:05:47.970 in the sense that, "Oh, you know, well, 104 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:49.080 you know what I would do? 105 00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:51.570 I would just tell them to beat sand," 106 00:05:51.570 --> 00:05:56.570 or something like that and just have another person 107 00:05:58.260 --> 00:06:03.260 to share these troubles with in a light air. 108 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:09.150 And then the other portion of Aunties 109 00:06:09.150 --> 00:06:14.150 is we're there to pick up the pieces 110 00:06:14.760 --> 00:06:17.880 because as any parent knows, 111 00:06:17.880 --> 00:06:21.240 you're going to have one in daycare, 112 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:26.240 one sick at home, three running around the res. 113 00:06:26.413 --> 00:06:29.850 And so mom and dad might not have the ability 114 00:06:29.850 --> 00:06:34.850 to slow down and see things as they arise. 115 00:06:35.610 --> 00:06:39.540 But if you like pull your auntie aside, 116 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:43.200 or I want to go to auntie's house, 117 00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:46.710 that's when that one-on-one comes into play. 118 00:06:46.710 --> 00:06:49.980 And that's when behind closed doors, 119 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:50.917 Auntie can be like, 120 00:06:50.917 --> 00:06:54.150 "Hey, you need to pay attention to this one. 121 00:06:54.150 --> 00:06:55.920 They're struggling." 122 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:59.527 And that's when the term, 123 00:06:59.527 --> 00:07:02.730 "It takes a village to raise a child," 124 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:06.750 that's where that comes in we wanna be able to pick 125 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:09.780 our children up through the cracks. 126 00:07:09.780 --> 00:07:11.730 Because as every parent knows, 127 00:07:11.730 --> 00:07:13.680 there's always going to be blind sides. 128 00:07:14.610 --> 00:07:17.400 And teaching children like the language. 129 00:07:17.400 --> 00:07:21.020 So we do have story books with lullabies 130 00:07:21.020 --> 00:07:24.633 in (indistinct) language. 131 00:07:25.590 --> 00:07:27.660 And I think that makes them feel closer 132 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:30.540 to home and closer to their roots. 133 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:34.530 So just definitely providing these things for them, 134 00:07:34.530 --> 00:07:38.010 I think, it just, it doesn't just feel 135 00:07:38.010 --> 00:07:40.890 like I'm getting services from a clinic. 136 00:07:40.890 --> 00:07:44.640 It's okay, this is my clinic, this is my people. 137 00:07:44.640 --> 00:07:49.640 - So a colicky baby, when everything else is not working, 138 00:07:50.880 --> 00:07:54.360 try that language and see if that helps. 139 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:58.650 Because I mean, especially with the languages around here, 140 00:07:58.650 --> 00:08:02.070 they're very guttural. 141 00:08:02.070 --> 00:08:05.640 So it's like those those hard, guttural sounds 142 00:08:05.640 --> 00:08:08.910 can actually be kind of like white noise in a sense. 143 00:08:08.910 --> 00:08:13.910 And it can bring the child back to a state of calm. 144 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:19.519 And then, they want to learn the culture for themselves. 145 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:22.950 And then sometimes, we also have clients 146 00:08:22.950 --> 00:08:26.550 who are non-native, but have Native children 147 00:08:26.550 --> 00:08:29.640 and they wanna learn the cultural traditions 148 00:08:29.640 --> 00:08:33.540 and values in order to pass it on to their children. 149 00:08:33.540 --> 00:08:37.530 And it's difficult as a non-native 150 00:08:37.530 --> 00:08:42.530 to come into the culture and to find somebody 151 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:44.430 who will teach them. 152 00:08:44.430 --> 00:08:49.430 So to have the Indigenous Ways of Knowing curriculum, 153 00:08:50.010 --> 00:08:53.340 it gives them that life jacket again of, 154 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:56.310 oh, finally I found somebody who can help me 155 00:08:56.310 --> 00:08:58.470 teach this to our children. 156 00:08:58.470 --> 00:09:00.480 - And understanding those principles 157 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:03.090 and how they relate to today's modern world 158 00:09:03.090 --> 00:09:05.223 and the skills that they need. 159 00:09:06.210 --> 00:09:09.000 Simply being available to your children, 160 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.100 waking up with the children, 161 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:13.110 waking up before the children wake up. 162 00:09:13.110 --> 00:09:14.890 Just something that simple 163 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:18.960 really helps your family get organized. 164 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:21.030 And getting kids off to school 165 00:09:21.030 --> 00:09:24.660 with a meal in them helps them learn. 166 00:09:24.660 --> 00:09:26.730 You know, just simple things like that. 167 00:09:26.730 --> 00:09:28.050 Yes, it's our job, 168 00:09:28.050 --> 00:09:31.740 but when we hire people to become an auntie, 169 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:35.220 it really is like being a part of your family, 170 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:39.390 and having that person be, just like your auntie would do, 171 00:09:39.390 --> 00:09:40.920 come to your house early in the morning 172 00:09:40.920 --> 00:09:44.040 or late at night when you need them the most. 173 00:09:44.040 --> 00:09:49.040 - The way our clients identify with these lessons, 174 00:09:49.140 --> 00:09:52.740 and they feel really comfortable with the lessons 175 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:54.423 that I've delivered so far, 176 00:09:55.950 --> 00:09:58.560 they love the program. 177 00:09:58.560 --> 00:10:00.870 And they feel comfortable. 178 00:10:00.870 --> 00:10:03.030 And again, we are involving them, 179 00:10:03.030 --> 00:10:04.020 and we're letting them know 180 00:10:04.020 --> 00:10:06.330 what it's about every step of the way. 181 00:10:06.330 --> 00:10:10.290 So just getting back all the positive feedback, 182 00:10:10.290 --> 00:10:12.750 I think that's, and them feeling comfortable with us, 183 00:10:12.750 --> 00:10:15.480 I think that's the greatest, greatest success. 184 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:18.210 - I found that one of the evaluation tools 185 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:20.100 that we use is the the mind map 186 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:23.190 of like the word cloud tracker. 187 00:10:23.190 --> 00:10:28.190 And of course, that's like the mother oak 188 00:10:28.650 --> 00:10:33.650 with all of her feathers, or not feathers, leaves, 189 00:10:34.890 --> 00:10:39.690 and then words are surrounding that. 190 00:10:39.690 --> 00:10:44.690 And in that, that's where I found the connection 191 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:47.100 with the clients. 192 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:52.100 Because in closing, that's the last thing that we do, 193 00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:56.880 is we go over the word tracker 194 00:10:56.880 --> 00:11:00.570 in how did today's lesson make you feel? 195 00:11:00.570 --> 00:11:05.128 Or how do you feel in general today? 196 00:11:05.128 --> 00:11:10.128 And I found that it really opens the door to communication 197 00:11:11.160 --> 00:11:13.890 to building those connections. 198 00:11:13.890 --> 00:11:17.640 Because if you're working with a client, 199 00:11:17.640 --> 00:11:22.640 and one day, they go, "Oh, I'm a little stressed." 200 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:28.410 And it's just like, "Okay, that's totally understandable. 201 00:11:28.410 --> 00:11:29.580 You're pregnant. 202 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:31.590 It's a lot of things coming at you right now, 203 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:33.390 and okay, cool." 204 00:11:33.390 --> 00:11:36.810 - And we also have, from the grant that we run this program 205 00:11:36.810 --> 00:11:41.810 out of with UCSD, and those evaluations, 206 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:45.153 they really warmed my heart, 207 00:11:46.260 --> 00:11:50.640 brought me to tears because they showed the same findings. 208 00:11:50.640 --> 00:11:53.580 And the findings were basically, it's working. 209 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:55.410 I think what makes me the proudest 210 00:11:55.410 --> 00:11:59.190 is just knowing that we're leaving something behind, 211 00:11:59.190 --> 00:12:00.930 and something that can grow 212 00:12:00.930 --> 00:12:04.830 and that can become even bigger than what it is today 213 00:12:04.830 --> 00:12:09.483 because it could take off with more language, more programs, 214 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:12.300 doing the Indigenous Ways of Knowing, 215 00:12:12.300 --> 00:12:16.260 and bringing our culture into everything that we do, 216 00:12:16.260 --> 00:12:19.500 and give that sense of pride, resilience, strength 217 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:23.670 to our little ones, all the way to our Elders. 218 00:12:23.670 --> 00:12:27.037 So it's kind of leaving a legacy. 219 00:12:27.037 --> 00:12:30.480 - [Joe Walker] CNCFR and My Two Aunties have collaborated 220 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:34.860 to develop a curriculum and supporting implementation guide. 221 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:37.950 These materials will help organizations or Tribes 222 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:40.350 that would like to implement this program 223 00:12:40.350 --> 00:12:42.930 in their community to do so in ways 224 00:12:42.930 --> 00:12:46.350 that are congruent with their culture, values, 225 00:12:46.350 --> 00:12:48.660 rituals, and communities. 226 00:12:48.660 --> 00:12:51.390 To learn more about the My Two Aunties program 227 00:12:51.390 --> 00:12:53.700 and access program materials, 228 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:56.250 visit the Indian Health Council website 229 00:12:56.250 --> 00:12:58.203 and the CNCFR website. 230 00:13:00.090 --> 00:13:03.330 The Center for Native Child and Family Resilience 231 00:13:03.330 --> 00:13:05.490 was funded by the Children's Bureau, 232 00:13:05.490 --> 00:13:08.370 Administration for Children and Families, 233 00:13:08.370 --> 00:13:11.040 US Department of Health and Human Services, 234 00:13:11.040 --> 00:13:13.953 under Cooperative agreement number 90CA1853. 235 00:13:17.520 --> 00:13:20.910 The contents of this product are solely the responsibility 236 00:13:20.910 --> 00:13:24.000 of JBS International, Incorporated, 237 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:27.450 and do not necessarily reflect the official views 238 00:13:27.450 --> 00:13:28.743 of the Children's Bureau.