GLENPOOL – The MCN Center for Victim Services held its third annual Youth Summit at the Glenpool Conference Center on July 17. Throughout the day, the summit covered topics such as consent and healthy relationships, healthy practices, financial literacy, suicide awareness, and self-care and wellness. The event also featured Mvskoke Language 101: Learning the Basics.
MCN CVS partnered with the MCN Department of Health, which provided lunch and bags for the youth. This year, they had 315 summer youth, 25 resource booths, and over 30 volunteers.
MCN CVS Youth Prevention Specialist Jamie Rolland-Hill (Mvskoke/Euchee) said that their program is split into different groups during sessions, but before that, they had someone give a presentation to all youth.
“All these breakout sessions we had at the youth summit, we thought could be good for the youth’s future and mental health. Every breakout session is carefully thought about and also has a lot to do with the survey the youth did last year on what breakout sessions they would be interested in attending and which ones they did not like. Our biggest goal for hosting the youth summit is to educate the youth, but also have some fun for the day. We really want our mvskoke youth to know that we do care and want what is best for them,” Rolland-Hill said.
Kirby Williams (Cherokee) was the main presenter during the summit. Rolland-Hill said her presentation was important because Williams showed what healthy and unhealthy love look like.
She knows that most of the youth who attended have heard her presentation or attended one of the CVS events, but Rolland-Hill wanted to offer a different perspective from someone else’s, such as Williams herself. She hopes that Williams’ presentation sticks with the youth.
“We also wanted them to know what abuse and consent meant. Abusive behavior isn’t always physical, and we wanted to stress that to them,” Rolland-Hill said.
The groups had different sessions going on. For the Teen Suicide Awareness, it was presented by MCN Behavioral Health Therapist Crystal Brill. Rolland-Hill said that this is important because Native American youth have the highest in teen suicide.
“We wanted them to know the signs of a friend who is struggling and know what steps to take if they think or know someone who is struggling. This is Crystal’s third year to present and does an amazing job every year,” Rolland-Hill said.
They held another session about Women’s Empowerment, which was held by Williams as well. Rolland-Hill said that Williams works hard to address violence against tribes in Nebraska and Oklahoma, and this was Williams’s first year as a main presenter and in a breakout session. During the breakout session, MCN CVS wanted to encourage women about the importance of their role in the world, how special their bodies are, and how to properly care for themselves.
The other session was Financial Literacy, and Tinker Federal Credit Union spoke about managing money in the real world.
“Once they leave mom and dad’s house. We want them to see how important it is to budget and be able to financially take care of yourself and future family/children. This is TFCU’s third year presenting,” Rolland-Hill said.
The founder of Mvskoke Dad’s Dr. Monte Randall (Mvskoke), President of the College of the Muscogee Nation, spoke about Mvskoke men’s roles and responsibilities. This was chosen because MCN CVS wanted to show not only the importance of young women but also that of young men. They wanted to let them know how important their role is in the community, too.
Coleman Lisan Tiger Blair taught claymaking, and MCN CVS said that this was popular by demand.
“The youth love his class and give him high ratings all the time. We chose this breakout session for our youth to decompress after a hard session, like teen suicide. This is a session to not think, just go in and have fun. Coleman has taught them how to make different things through his three years in presenting, like dragons and bison, but this year, he taught them how to make dinosaurs,” Rolland-Hill said.
Detective/Task Force Officer Damon Brandt from the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office presented a Project iGuardian. MCN CVS wanted teens to understand the importance of protecting their information and what they post on social media, because predators can find them so easily.
“It was a session on being safe on the internet and being smart on social media. Things that predators look for and how they choose their victims. Using your brain when it comes to the internet and phone safety,” Rolland-Hill said. “This was the second year that Homeland Security has come to present on internet safety, and every time they come, they bring new and valuable information.”
For the third year, the MCN Language Department presented breakout sessions about the Mvskoke Language.
“This session is very important. A lot of the youth at our youth summit do not know much past having their card. We want them to at least know how to say hello, thank you, see you again. Without our language, what are we? Who are we as Mvskoke people? The hope of this break out session was they pick up on something and use it, keep it, say it over and over!” Rolland-Hill said.
Throughout all the sessions, MCN CVS hopes that youth can use what they learn in their daily life and carry it with them. They hope that, after the summit, the youth will feel good about learning something new.
Rolland-Hill said that planning the annual summit is stressful because she constantly questions whether she is making the right choices and wants to ensure that what she chooses can make an impact or catch the youth’s attention.
“The day of the youth summit is always crazy, but at the end of the day, when we are handing out prizes, I like to pick random youth and ask them to tell me three things they learned that day. To hear all the different answers and see their faces light up from all the free stuff they have received makes it all worth it,” Rolland-Hill said.
“They let me know that they had at least three things stuck with them that day, and I know they will carry that out the door.”
MCN CVS provides advocacy, support, and services to those impacted by violent crime. Rolland-Hill said their team includes advocates, attorneys, licensed counselors, and outreach and awareness staff who work every day to improve safety on the MCN reservation.
MCN CVS services include court advocacy (tribal, state, and federal), legal advocacy, assistance in locating emergency shelter, filing protective orders, safety planning, crisis intervention, and counseling.
“Each service is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We also have a team of SANE nurses who are specially trained to assess injuries resulting from domestic and sexual assault. These exams are voluntary, completely free, and confidential. An advocate is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with you and provide support,” Rolland-Hill said.
MCN CVS points out that you do not have to be a member of a federally recognized Tribe to receive their services. If you or someone you know is in need of services, contact MCN CVS at 918-732-7979
For updated events, follow them on the Facebook page at Muscogee Nation Center for Victim Services.
