Red Lake coordinates summer youth programs

 

 

By Molly Miron

Pioneer Editor

 

      RED LAKE - Youngsters sometimes complain that there’s nothing to do in a small town.

      That will not be the case in Red Lake this summer, and probably for the foreseeable future. Summer camps, trips to Twins games, sports opportunities and the promise of a new Boys & Girls Club are among the plans afoot. The outpouring of assistance is a response to the tragic March 21 shootings at Red Lake High School and the subsequent trauma among Red Lake communities.

      “This is going to be a very trying summer for our young people,” said Red Lake Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr.

      To coordinate the programs and to avoid time and date conflicts, Red Lake officials gathered with federal and state representatives on Friday for a summer activities meeting.

      “What we’re trying to do is bring order out of chaos,” said Tribal Secretary Judy Roy of the many offers of assistance. “It’s a good kind of chaos because there is so much potential. If we put all of our resources together, we can put them to use, make sure all our kids’ interests are covered.”

      Oren Beaulieu, director of Red Lake Comprehensive Health, led the meeting.

     

Boys & Girls Club

      Big news came from Jourdain and Dawn Huseby, director of the Red Lake Boys & Girls Club.

      They traveled to San Diego last week and received commitment from the national organization for $4 million to build new club houses in Red Lake and Ponemah.

      Currently, the club meets in the Red Lake Middle School.

      Jourdain said he expects the club houses to be ready for the youngsters within 18 months.

      “It’s going to happen,” he said.

      “We don’t have the check yet, but it’s in the process,” Huseby said. “We have a site picked out, but the board has to approve it.”

      She said the highest membership of the Red Lake Boys & Girls Club was 150. After the March 21 shootings at the Red Lake High School, the club had remained closed until Tuesday. Huseby said 78 youngsters attended during the 5-9 p.m. after-school session on Thursday. Summer hours will be 1-9 p.m.

      One of her goals with the new buildings is transportation for those attending the club.

      “If we put up a $4 million building, we need transportation for the kids,” she said.

      The National Indian Gaming Association has offered to design the club houses at no cost.

     

Federal assistance

      Robert Parisian brought news of federal funding for youth programs. He represented Quanah Crossland Stamps, director of the Administration for Native Americans, part of the Department for Children and Families and Department of Health and Human Services.

      He said $160,000 would be coming to the Red Lake Nation during the next 18 months. There would be $50,000 per year for resource officers to help Tribal Comprehensive Health in the schools. Each of the four reservation communities--Red Lake, Redby, Ponemah and Little Rock--will receive $15,000 to renovate their community centers, “to try to make them more useable for youth,” Parisian said.

      He said bureaucratic red tape would be cut in this case and Red Lake will receive the funds about two weeks after the Administration for Native Americans receives the plans.

      “We’re talking about a real short turn-around time,” he said.

      Money will be available for training AmeriCorps members and students in community emergency response. Red Lake now has 29 AmeriCorps slots, but Parisian said Stamps is also working on opening more positions for Red Lake.

      Gift In Kind International will be donating athletic supplies, from boats to baseballs, and paying $3,500 toward the hauling.

      In addition, the Tribal Community Conservation Corps will send 17 workers 18-24 years old from other reservations to help with the community center renovations and other construction. All costs are covered, including transportation and the workers’ meals.

      “They would be excellent role models, also,” Parisian said.

     

Summer calendar

      Lea Perkins, tribal executive administrator, outlined the plan for informing people of the activities that become available and calendars for filling in when activities would take place. She said events would also be listed on the Red Lake Nation News Web site and on flyers posted at the four communities. She said she would create an e-mail list of all the people involved in youth activities.

      Jourdain said the Tribal Council would hire two youth affairs coordinators and circulated a sign-up sheet for those interested in taking part in a youth affairs committee. He said he also hopes to organize a Tribal Youth Council.

      Along with the planned activities, Jourdain said there must be opportunities for youngsters to enjoy informal time together without adult input.

      “When we had all of the crisis counselors here, a lot of the young people didn’t come out,’ he said. Instead, many gathered in small groups to talk about their feelings.

      “It’s a very good outlet,” he said. “When the time is right, they’ll talk about things. Eventually, this stuff is going to come out and more times than not, they’re going to talk to one another.”

     

21st Century Grant

      Red Lake will also benefit from a 21st Century Grant, a federal program administered by each state.

      Carol Aenne, assistant to the superintendent of the Red Lake School District, and John Buckanaga, youth program director for the Bemidji School District, listed some of the events and opportunities the grant will provide. The basis is to help youngsters master math and reading skills through real life experiences.

      Canoe trips to the Boundary Waters are on the summer agenda, as well as trips to Twins games, the OmniTheater, Como Park, Itasca State Park, softball tournaments, cultural programs and a basketball camp with Minnesota Timberwolves team members helping coach the student players.

      Ed Strong said he also is working with Brian Frye, University of Minnesota director of basketball operations, for a girls’ basketball camp coached by members of the Gophers women’s basketball team.

      Roy and others said the youth of Red Lake also need summer jobs, and the 21st Century Grant answers some of those needs, too. Youth can enroll in a mentoring program to work with younger children and receive an hourly stipend for their services.

      There will also be a series of Youth Summits in July and August at the Hampton Inn. And Jourdain announced that a running club, Red Thunder, is offering 10 scholarships for the Twin Cities Marathon to youngsters who will train for the event during the summer.

      “Running is a powerful way of life,” he said.

     

Long-term response

      The plans for summer will extend into the future as well.

      “All of our youth deserve what the tribe can do for them,” said Roy. “There’s never been a time when we needed to pull together more than now.”

      She cautioned the group not to get locked into simply entertaining youngsters and not to forget the therapeutic activities for entire families. For example, she said a church group is offering a camp for the children, but it should be a family camp so everyone in a family can share the experience.

      And the tribe must also plan for the long term. That means much more than activities, Tribal Treasurer Darrell Seki said.

      “We can pool our resources and help our youth,” he said. “Unfortunately, there has to be an incident to get us to come together. We cannot forget to love our kids, to use our eyes, hug them, appreciate what they do, pat them on the back.”