HUMAN SERVICES
St. David‘s Child
Development &
Family Services
Ain Dah Yung
INTERNATIONAL
CARE: Afghan Women
as Entrepreneurs
HOUSING
|
Ain Dah Yung “Our Home” Center St. Paul, Minnesota |
2004 $10,000 Grant |
Ain Dah Yung was granted $10,000 from Sundance Family Foundation for mental health services, through the Oyate Nawajin “Stand with the People” Counseling and Support Program. Ain Dah Yung means “Our Home” in the Ojibway language. The organization was created more than 20 years ago as an emergency shelter to assist runaway and homeless American Indian youth who were struggling to thrive and heal with their families from issues of abuse, neglect, drug/alcohol dependence, depression and suicidal ideas. Ain Dah Yung is the oldest establishment run for Native Americans by Native Americans, within the Twin Cities.
By 1992, Ain Dah Yung shifted to more than a crisis-oriented program. It became clear that connected programs and services focusing on prevention models were important components to the crisis intervention work. Parent education, family heritage and preservation services, domestic violence support, legal advocacy, and culturally-based mental health services are key additions.
At least 75 percent of all participants report reduced incidences of violence, reduction of emotional symptoms, improved educational functioning and stable living arrangements.
The grant by Sundance Family Foundation provided funding for programming based on the following criteria:
• Culturally specific services
• Focus on strengthening the individual’s connections to community and culture for healing versus a focus on fixing an individual and his or her problems
• Culturally-sensitive counseling, provided for Native Americans by Native American mental health providers
• Comprehensive Holistic Treatment Model – this model goes beyond the reimbursements available from HMOs. Reimbursements are often not available for necessary services such as meetings with probation officers, social workers and school professionals
• Additional counseling sessions beyond the allotted services provided through an HMO
“Through this grant, we were able to offer a Pipe Ceremony to program participants and their families,” said Kim Poitra, director, Oyate Nawajin (Stand with the People). One young person who participated “is a 15-year-old Native American male who has openly struggled with his identity. He has gone through periods of embracing his culture and more recently withdrawing due to lack of acceptance by his peers. This youth took a risk and attended. He also made a special request to his family to attend this ceremony with him. His family agreed to attend and it was a positive experience for all. Hopefully, one that made the young man feel that he belongs and is accepted here and will participate again. No doubt it was beneficial for the family to experience this as a whole.”
The current independent external evaluation of the Oyate Nawajin program cites that at least 75 percent of all participants (youth and their families) report:
- Reduced incidences of violence, reduction of emotional symptoms, improved educational functioning and stable living arrangements;
- Increased self-control, problem solving skills and improvement in social relationships;
- Improvement in family functioning and communication including conflict resolution and anger management;
- Improved school and classroom behavior (no behavioral difficulties experienced while participating in the program); and
- Increased community and cultural resources and awareness of available community resources.
Copyright 2006 Sundance Family Foundation. All rights reserved.