CIRI Shareholder Receives National Lewis Hine Award

CIRI shareholder and Cook Inlet Tribal Council Chief of Operations Mary Jeanne Longley, who has a doctorate in education from Portland State University, was one of ten recipients of the 2002 Lewis Hine Award for Service to Children and Youth. These nationally recognized awards, now in their 15th year, are presented annually by the National Child Labor Committee to 10 recipients - five professionals and five volunteers - for their unheralded and exceptional service to young people. Longley received the prestigious award for her work as a leader and advocate for the growth, development, and well being of Alaskan youth through her work with Cook Inlet Tribal Council's Youth Opportunity Program.

These Tyonek residents are among 2,606 youth in the Cook Inlet region who are served by the Youth Opportunity Program

The Youth Opportunity Program serves more than 2,600 youth in 40 villages. Historically, each Native region across the state has chosen to work individually to address the needs of its people. Through Cook Inlet Tribal Council's efforts, the Youth Opportunity Program has united the various regions' commitment to their youth, providing comprehensive services to assist the youth in their transition into a productive adult life. Through the program, all of the youths' needs are addressed to assure they are better able to complete their education, and find and sustain employment, including clothing, childcare, job readiness training, vocational/technical training, and life skills training.

Longley says that the flexibility of the community-based model used by the program offers the kind of assistance communities need. A veteran of 25 years of running human service programs such as Head Start, Longley believes that very few social services would be needed if youth were provided with the skills and opportunities to be successful in the workforce and, ultimately, to achieve self-sufficiency. Her passion for the youth development approach drives the success of the Youth Opportunity Program. It works because it's empowering, giving the youth a voice in their communities through youth councils that are often mentored by elders, leaders and adult tribal councils. She asks, "How can you not feel good about yourself when you're learning new skills?" A basic tenet of this approach includes giving back to the community, which resonates with traditional Native values.

Although Cook Inlet Tribal Council promotes "youth first," partnerships and community involvement are essential to building community capacity and self-sufficiency. Cook Inlet Tribal Council's Youth Opportunity Program maintains partnerships with local and regional tribal organizations, industry, unions, schools, vocational training centers and colleges. The Youth Opportunity Program fits seamlessly with Cook Inlet Tribal Council's overall mission to assist families and communities to achieve self-determination through a system of care approach, which is built on partnerships. The CIRI-affiliated nonprofit places a strong emphasis on employment and training services with over half of the 30 programs offering some form of education and/or training to participants.

Longley traveled to New York City to receive the award in a national media-covered ceremony on Nov. 18, 2002. In addition, a select group of public figures were honored with special awards. Longley was nominated by Cook Inlet Tribal Council staff unbeknownst to her. Gloria O'Neill, president and chief executive officer, is extremely proud of Longley's accomplishments which she believes reflects the organization's passion for continuously working together.

Elder Housing Celebrates the Holidays

Nearly 50 residents of Cook Inlet Housing Authority's elder community in Anchorage turned out for a pre-Thanksgiving feast with turkey and all the trimmings a couple of days before the holiday. Cook Inlet Housing Authority's Resident Services Coordinator Nichole Fanning prepared the Thanksgiving turkey, and other housing authority staffers pitched in to prepare potatoes, stuffing and gravy. Residents cooked yams, green bean casseroles and cranberry sauces, along with desserts and assorted salads. Chickaloon Landing resident Gregory Andrew Sr. picked up his guitar for the evening's entertainment. Andrew was joined by local guitar player and vocalist David Chanar, who volunteered to lead the musical festivities. The two men performed primarily country and gospel songs, and they invited residents of the elder housing community to sing along.

This holiday season promises to be a fun one for the residents of Cook Inlet Housing Authority's rental properties. A holiday craft bazaar, shopping trips via motor coach, holiday open house events, and a visit from Santa are just a few of the highlights. For more information on events at Cook Inlet Housing Authority's elder's housing, call (907) 276-8822.

Our Past Adds a Fresh Perspective to National Native News

A moment of Native history can now be heard on the Koahnic Broadcast Corp. produced, five-minute daily edition of National Native News. Since Nov. 1, National Native News has been opening with a significant and compelling historical fact or event from Native history, which is often misunderstood, misrepresented and even ignored. As Koahnic Broadcast Corp. prepared to celebrate their 16th year of bringing public radio listeners news from another perspective, the organization chose to add this feature to the program to bring awareness to the relationship between Native histories and current events in Indian Country. National Native News is broadcast by more than 260 stations nationwide and can be heard each weekday on KNBA 90.3 FM and at www.knba.org.

Koahnic Broadcast Corp., one of the country's leading national Native media enterprises, operates three divisions: KNBA 90.3 FM, the country's only urban, Native-controlled public radio station; national radio programming, including National Native News, Earthsongs, and Native America Calling; and the KBC Training Center.

Previous Article | Top | Next Article | Return to the list of newsletters