World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and Two Spirit Elderly
|
|
|
By Jacqueline S. Gray, PhD
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is held each year on June 15. WEAAD began in 2006 with the support of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization of the United Nations. When the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative (NIEJI), the national resource center for Indigenous elder abuse prevention, was established in 2011, it began encouraging WEAAD events in Indian Country in 2012. Numerous tribes have begun offering WEAAD activities, whether on June 15 or with elder abuse prevention conferences sometime during the year. Since 2012, NIEJI has co-sponsored WEAAD events with many tribes on WEAAD and other times during the year. We broke new trails in 2012 by live casting a half-day of speakers on elder abuse over the internet. Last year with the pandemic and shut down all over the country, NIEJI presented a WEAAD panel on Facebook which subsequently had hundreds of shares and views within the week.
Over the past 10 years, I have often described working on elder abuse prevention in Indian Country as the adage of “How do you eat an elephant?” but it is more like “How do you eat a whole herd of stampeding elephants?” When NIEJI began in 2011, there were not any resources on elder abuse that were culturally relevant for U.S. Indigenous people living in tribal communities or urban areas, and only 40 of the 565 federally recognized tribes at the time had elder abuse codes. Additionally, training was not available for U.S. Indigenous communities to develop tribal codes, increase awareness of elder abuse, or develop models for elder abuse prevention programs. Today we have culturally informed resources, trainings, and continue to develop materials as our communities need them. But there is still a great need to understand the risk and protective factors and identifying interventions that effectively prevent abuse.
|
|
|
In Two Spirit Kinship: Allies During Pride Month and Beyond
|
|
|
|
2S Question Guide to Navigate 2021 PRIDE Season
|
Harlan Pruden, First Nation Cree, works with and for the Two Spirit community locally, nationally, and internationally. He is an educator at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control's Chee Mamuk program (an Indigenous public health initiative) and is also the Managing Editor of the online Two Spirit Journal.
|
|
|
|
Two Spirit Perspectives on Pride Month
|
|
|
Organization Spotlight - Healthy Native Youth
|
|
|
Indigenizing Love: A Toolkit for Native Youth to Build Inclusion
In response to requests from Native youth, a collective of partners created this toolkit to support Native youth and those who engage them to better understand and support Two Spirit and LGBTQ communities.
Download the toolkit here.
|
The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board has a Two Spirit and LGBTQ Health page that contains resources for youth, clinic providers, and allies. Bookmark this 2SLGBTQ treasure trove of a website on your web browser!
|
TSLGBTQ Print Materials: Pronouns, Sexual & Gender Identity
The #1 topic of importance to native youth and young adults today is identity – cultural, sexual and gender - so why should pronouns matter to you? Because they matter to them. The use of correct name and pronouns is associated with decreased depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior in trans youth.
|
Resource Videos on Identity, Terminology and Ways to Support Identities
Learn from Shaquita L Bell, MD (Cherokee), interim medical director for Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic and the medical director of the Center for Health Equity and Diversity at Seattle Children’s:
|
Healthy Native Youth Community of Practice
Healthy Native Youth offers virtual Community of Practice gatherings the second Wednesday of every month at 10-11:30 a.m. Pacific. Sessions include new resources and opportunities to engage with Native professionals in the field n various topics. The community shares their strengths and experiences about how they will improve the lives of Native youth.
Visit the Healthy Native Youth Community of Practice page for more information and dates of upcoming sessions.
|
2SLGBTQ+ Blog Article Posts
|
Current Alaska HIV Data Now Available
The State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) recently published an Alaska HIV surveillance report with reported infection data spanning from 1982-2020. The ‘HIV Surveillance Report – Alaska, 1982-2020’ document indicates 2,026 cumulative cases from 1982-2020 and 30 newly diagnosed HIV cases from 2020. Review the report for comprehensive data to inform your HIV support and prevention outreach efforts.
ANTHC offers many preventative health services and programs to elevate the health status of Alaska Native families and communities. Learn more about the wellness resources at https://anthc.org/what-we-do/wellness/.
|
|
In observance of Pride Month, Healthy Native Youth is sharing some diverse and inclusive resources to help deliver Two Spirit and LGBTQ health programming to youth, virtually and in-person.
|
Celebrating Our Magic
The Celebrating Our Magic guide is a culturally-specific resource for American Indian and Alaska Native communities and provides resources for transgender and Two Spirit youth, their relatives, and their healthcare providers.
Download the guide here.
|
Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Community Readiness Survey
A community assessment planning tool to strategically integrate the voice, expertise, and resources from all community members to improve the health and well-being of TSLGBTQ youth.
|
There's Heart Here Documentary
Follow three indigenous members of the Two Spirit and LGBTQ community as they journey toward self-acceptance, supportive healthcare, and communities that celebrate them. Watch here: There’s Heart Here
|
Two Spirit Talks Podcast
2SLGBTQ+ people seeking stories and wisdom that reflect collective experiences. Listen each month to hear directly from the 2SLGBTQ+ native community about ceremony, song, solidarity, and how listeners can build on the diverse teachings of our pasts to create a queer Indigenous future. Listen here: Two Spirit Talks Podcast
|
2SLGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Posters and Print Materials
Two Spirit LGBTQ+ suicide prevention materials are available from NPAIHB for your local setting. Click to view and download the assortment of suicide prevention posters and print materials.
|
NPAIHB Resolution Passes ATNI - 2sLGBTQ Strategic Vision and Action Plan
The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians passed resolutions to support Trans Gender-Affirming Care in IHS, Tribal, and Urban Indian Health Facilities with a 2021 Strategic Vision and Action Plan. The resolution will be forwarded to the National Congress of Americans for consideration.
|
National HIV Testing Day is June 27
National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is an annual observance to encourage people of all ages to get tested for HIV and to know their status. Support for expanded HIV testing has commenced in Indian Country and Alaska. Many tribal healthcare facilities are promoting and raising awareness of HIV testing.
To learn more as well as culturally appropriate print materials for HIV testing, click HIV – NPAIHB and for Alaska, click iKnowmine for free STI self-test kit!
|
|
|
Text Messaging Campaign Tools
|
To be effective, health and wellness interventions must reflect the cultural values, social contexts, and health epistemologies of Native teens and young adults. Culturally tailored interventions are critically needed to increase the degree to which health messages are perceived as personally relevant by AI/ANs, to inspire and support behavior change. Here are a few text messaging campaigns as tools – Sign Up!
|
|
|
|
|
Paths (Re)membered Project
The Paths (Re)Membered Project centers the Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ community–its strengths, resiliencies, and histories—in our movement toward health equity. Through community engagement, research, and advocacy, we work toward a liberated 2SLGBTQ+ future, which includes the memories of Two Spirit ancestors, the wisdom of our elders, and the creativity of our young people.
|
|
|
|
Do you have any resources or events to share in an upcoming TSLGBTQ Newsletter? Please click on the button below to complete a short form and send us your information. We will include items in future newsletters as appropriate and approved by SAMHSA. Thank you!
|
|
If you are not currently on our listserv to automatically receive the TSLGBTQ newsletter each month, please use the button below to submit your information and sign up.
|
|
The views, opinions, and content expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views, policies, and positions of the Center for Mental Health Services, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|