Assets Wanted

Another part of my training today covered The 40 Developmental Assets. It was an informative, quick review that allowed us to share asset-building strategies in use around the district. I have some new resources and contacts that will help build assets in AVAIL students. Woo-hoo!

Recovering Teen Addicts

Today I attended drug and alcohol prevention training and was totally blown away by the teenage presenters.

Recovering teen addicts shared their experiences with drugs and alcohol. They shared emotional and descriptive personal stories, too graphic for this family blog.

Stories of being stoned daily at age 4, physical abuse, incarceration, alcoholism and crack cocaine addictions. Family histories of alcoholism, early deaths, and jail time. Indoctrination into criminality by older siblings, routine beatings, violence, and being kicked out of the home.

They told heart-wrenchingly tragic stories with courage and strength. Theirs were terrible tales of decent into addiction and equally terrible determination to overcome it.

Here is a bit of their hard-earned wisdom.

• "Low self esteem doesn't come from other people telling me I'm bad. Low self esteem comes from me pointing out the bad and focusing on the bad things in me."
  
  
• Adults should be aware of the following warning signs for drug use: frequent bathroom breaks, routine absences & tardies, classroom conversations about drug use, missing after school activities, and a rapid drop in grade percentage.
  
  
• One wished to to have been arrested sooner, another wanted, "someone to tell me that I was putting my parents through misery... to let me know that I was disrespecting my parents."
  
  
• Detoxification was a physical and emotional battle. Detox from marijuana took up to 4 months. Crack cocaine detox made it impossible to sleep normally for 3 weeks. During that time, they were "pissed off", irritated, and unable to focus on school work.
  
  
• They need to feel comfortable and accepted while in treatment. Talking about addiction requires a trust relationship.
  
  
• Talking to people helps teens stay away from drugs and alcohol. It helps to have sober support people as well as recovering addicts with whom to share.
  
  
• Strength comes from a higher power, from role models, or from family. It's important to follow the 12-step programs.
  
  
• Addicts need to stay away from drug hangouts and drug friends after leaving treatment. One said, "I need to strengthen myself to say no to my old friends."
  
  
• Teens can try to convince other teens not to use. One teen wants to "give them the lecture", to say "just because I did it doesn't mean you can do it."
  
  
• The others try not to "preach", just "tell them what happened to me." To say, "I don't know what is going to happen to you, but, think about it, do you want to take that chance?"

Dropouts drop off

The dropout rate is decreasing in the Anchorage School District.

It's no surprise that Natives dropout at the highest rate, currently 9.2%. But for Native Americans, that is a significant improvement. Nationally, the Native dropout rate was 25.4% only 15 years ago. Last year, the number was 16.9%.

Here's a quick thank you to the teachers and parents of Native American graduates. Give yourself a pat on the back. Your commitment does make a difference!

Natives in for big royalty boost

Now that Red Dog is in the black, the profits will trickle out to other corporations. Here's hoping that Bering Straits will be careful in choosing a banker for their money.

Reparations

$50 million will be paid to 110 Alaska Natives who were abused by 13 Roman Catholic Priests and 2 clerics. The abuse occurred over 30 years, mostly in Western Alaska and Yukon River villages. U.S. courts have assessed damages of $1.1 billion for antitrust violations and $8.5 million for a double-murder. But only after the plaintiff has a day in court.

Remember how Bush II started a war in Iraq to destroy Hussein's weapons of mass destruction? Well that was a lie. Saddam had no banned weapons prior to the U.S. invasion.

And remember when Joe Wilson told the truth about WMD, his wife Valerie Plame was put in mortal danger? Remember when our government blew the cover of our own CIA operative in order to discredit our own U.S. Ambassabor? Well even that has been exposed in court.

All of these facts are not in dispute. And the facts lead to Vice-President Dick Cheney as the man responsible. But only one congressman is actively seeking to impeach him. (Of course it's Dennis.)

One question though: When the citizens of Iraq get reparations, how much will we pay for over 1 million deaths?

Villagers Unite! Or Not...

Economic development has long been a concern in rural Alaska. Now a group of village corporations is trying something new. The Alaska Native Village CEO Association is a way to build relationships between well-to-do corporations and smaller, less successful ones.

Other 'bootstrap' solutions exist. RurAL CAP has been trying to promote culturally relevant services and UAF's College of Rural and Community Development makes it possible for rural students to attend college in a culturally sensitive environment. Preference for Native hire has been tried in many industries and is now a focus in Anchorage construction trades. The CDQ program has generated $110 million on behalf of 25,000 Western Alaska residents since 1992. Of course, AFN has been addressing native issues for 41 years.

Here's the problem: Native groups are so diverse that one voice cannot speak for all. Television and political action committees often ignore both sides to the debate. Natural resource development (especially mining and drilling) screws up the environment. But it pays the bills and many Natives benefit from the economic boon.

Case #1, Upper Yukon Athabascans strongly oppose ANWR drilling. But the majority of native groups support drilling. AFN even passed a resolution saying so.

Case #2, Pebble Mine could be a huge economic success yet Bristol Bay Natives fall on both sides of the debate. Some pro and con.

Case #3, Red Dog Mine is the world's largest producer of Zinc and the largest polluter in the U.S. But does the major media expose Red Dog pollution? Not so much... because NANA is happy to get the money.

Destruction of subsistence economies is a hot-button topic whenever government supports ANWR or opposes the Pebble Mine. But we should be wary when media and politicians are so far out of touch with the local citizens.

Bionic women

Once there was a lady named Ruth who had powers to beat the bad. Ruth can't outrun a bullet from a pistol. Ruth can do a pull up with one hand! Bionic women can hold three People Mover busses - amazing!

Most kids would like to be bionic women. So kids started to lift heavy weights to be bionic women. Some people say she is not real.

But Ruth can run 1,000 miles per hour!