Newsletter - July, Page 04

Alaska Native Heritage Center Begins Children's Program

The Alaska Native Heritage Center is introducing an exciting, new children's pro-gram called Icu. Icu is pronounced eé-shoe and means 'welcome' in the Eyak language.

"Icu is an interactive learning program designed for children who visit the Center," said Patricia Partnow, ANHC education vice president. "Youth between the ages of 4 and 12 are invited to participate in Icu with activities including traditional games, arts and crafts creation, storytelling and other culturally appropriate activities."

During the Icu program, staff are present at all times to guide children as they learn about Native cultures through active participation. Parents and families are invited to join in the activities, and children 10 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Icu is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Youth groups of 10 or more are invited to participate by calling in advance to qualify for a special educational group rate of $6 per child. General admission for children between the ages of 7 and 16 years of age is $14.95 and free on Saturdays through August 28, 1999. All children six and under are free. For scheduling and additional information about the Icu program, contact Patricia Partnow at (907) 330-8056.

Cook Inlet Tribal Council

Welcomes New Programs

Cook Inlet Tribal Council's Family Services Department now offers three new programs, creating a three-tiered range of services for Alaska Natives and Native Americans in the Cook Inlet region.

The first of the programs is New Beginnings, providing support and education to parents of young children through workshops and on-site visits. Another program is Healthy Homes. This is a four-year child abuse and neglect prevention project which provides home visits, referrals, inter-agency treatment planning, expedited mental health appointments, drug and alcohol assessments, crisis intervention, short-term counseling and support groups.

Family Preservation is the third tier of Family Services designed to help families reunify, resolve crises and prevent out-of-home placement of children. Family Preservation entails home visits, parenting classes, counseling, information and referral, advocacy and cultural-social activities.

For more information on New Beginnings, Healthy Homes and Family Preservation, call the Family Services Department at (907) 265-5911.

Kris Anderson, a member of Cook Inlet Housing Authority's board of commissioners, congratulates Hyman Conrad Amos for being named the regional winner of Amerind Risk Management Corporation's National Fire Safety Poster Contest. CIHA sponsors the regional contest for Southcentral, Alaska to promote fire and home safety among Native youth. Each year, the membership of Amerind, an insurance company owned by the nation's American Indian housing programs, incurs losses of more than $1 million in claims as a result of children playing with fire and injuries to children and elders. As the regional winner, Amos received a new bike on behalf of CIHA and will have his poster displayed at the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation.

CITC Participates in YWCA Native Mother Daughter Program

Again this year the YWCA offered its Native Mother Daughter Program, providing a variety of educational and craft-making workshops.

Cook Inlet Tribal Council's Coordinator of Youth Services, Shirley Tuzroyluke, conducted one of the workshops focusing on Accessing Community Resources. In her discussions, Tuzroyluke highlighted CITC's summer programs, camps, and the academic programs designed specifically for Native children. She also stressed the importance of taking an active role in a child's school life to promote academic success for Native children.

"Shirley made a favorable impression on the little sisters and their mothers. It was a pleasure to have her at our workshop," said Annette Ducharme, 1999 Native Mother Daughter coordinator.

Another workshop focused on Building and Maintaining Self-Esteem, which included discussion of body image, how it relates to self- esteem, and unhealthy eating and diet habits. A color expert with The Body Shop was also on hand to provide makeovers, and an education specialist with STAR (Standing Together Against Rape) conducted a presentation on the indicators of child sexual abuse and sexual assault. Other activities included a tour of the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the creation of collages and decoration of ceramic pots.

"A vital part of our program involves the use of art as a medium to express feelings," added Ducharme.