GLENPOOL – Mvskoke Summer Youth employees packed the Glenpool Conference Center on July 16 for the Second Annual Youth Summit. The event was hosted by Muscogee (Creek) Nation Center for Victim Services in collaboration with the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The summit included main speakers, breakout sessions and a resource fair with various Tribal departments, local colleges, and military branches.
Higher education, mental health, financial literacy, and cultural education were discussed, as well as uncomfortable topics like suicide prevention, sexual health and dating violence.
Summer youth employees heard lectures from eight different speakers. Ponca City Victim advocate Kelsey Griffith was the keynote speaker. Griffith infused her presentation with audience interaction, creating a comfortable atmosphere to learn about hard topics like domestic violence and sexual assault.
The Youth Summit is spearheaded by CVS Youth Prevention Specialist Jamie Rolland-Hill (Euchee/Mvskoke), who got the idea from a conference she attended at Kaw Nation. Rolland-Hill dedicated a lot of time organizing the event and bringing together crime advocates and mental health professionals for the benefit of the summer youth employees.
“When I get to go into the schools and I get to talk to these high school kids, the things they say to me sometimes shock me,” Rolland-Hill said. “Toxic behavior is so normal to them and they don’t realize they don’t have to tolerate that. They can say ‘no’. They don’t have to let people peer pressure them. That’s a big thing these days is peer pressure.”
Cultural education and demonstrations were also provided for students to learn more about Mvskoke culture. Clay pottery, and corn husk doll making were included in the demonstrations as well as education on their cultural significance. The Mvskoke Language Program taught three sessions on the importance of preserving the language.
Rolland and her department pulled out all the stops for the summer youth employees that attended. Each summer youth employee received an Oakley backpack, a wireless portable phone charger, t-shirts and snow cones. Chick-Fil-A was catered for lunch, and come-and-go pop and snacks were provided by Mvskoke Youth Services.
CVS Director Shawn Partridge (Mvskoke) believes this is one of the largest events organized by the tribe for Mvskoke youth. The goal of discussing these topics was to prepare young adults within the tribe for life after graduating high school and college. According to Partridge, the younger the individuals are when they’re exposed to the issues and resources discussed at the summit, the more likely they will know who to contact if they ever experience it themselves.
“The focus from our program is for them to learn about relationships and abusive behaviors, those red flags to look for in relationships,” Partridge said. “It comes at an important time for them being teenagers and having important discussions about important topics.”
Funding for the event was provided by the Family Violence Prevention Services Grant. To stay up-to-date on CVS events, visit their Facebook page, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Center for Victim Services. The office can also be reached at 918-732-7979 to report domestic violence cases.
