OKMULGEE – Sewing machines were busy at work stitching together ribbon skirts and vests at the Okmulgee Indian Community Center for the Sew What? Let’s Talk about Healthy Relationships event on Tuesday, Dec. 30. The event, hosted by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Center for Victim Services, was designed for students in 7th-12th grade. Students had the opportunity to learn how to use a sewing machine and make their own clothing. Students also learned about hallmarks of healthy interpersonal relationships.
Youth Prevention Specialist Jamie Rolland-Hill (Euchee/Mvskoke) knows that not every student has healthy relationships in their life to model after. MCN Center for Victim Services hosts events like these to promote healthy ways to communicate with partners.
“It’s a learning experience for them and it’s also pretty fun.”
“We talked about healthy relationships and what love looks like, what love doesn’t look like,” Rolland-Hill said. “We talked about healthy relationships within your family and your friends, different characteristics. What red flags look like, what green flags look like.”
Taking place between Christmas and New Year’s, Rolland remarked that events like these are great for students to get out of the house and do a constructive activity. According to Rolland-Hill, each student present was a beginner. Some had watched their parents sew, others had never touched a machine. Afterward, each student was able to take home the skirt or vest they completed.
Green Flags vs. Red Flags
Red flags to look out for in a relationship are hollering, punching things like walls, throwing objects, verbal abuse, and physical violence. Rolland-Hill said that although some students may grow up witnessing these relationship red flags at home, it does not mean they have to repeat the cycle. The Center for Victim Services offers resources and specialists to help identify and address relationship warning signs.
Many students that day cited characteristics their parents model when asked about what they believe are characteristics of a healthy relationship. According to Rolland Hill, one of the students said his father brings his mother flowers “just because.”
“Two of the youth today talked about watching their parents and how they communicate with each other and how they work through their problems,” Rolland-Hill said. “Even how they spend time together sitting in the living room watching tv and laughing together.”
To stay up-to-date on events and programming from the MCN Center for Victim Services, follow their Facebook page. The department also has a 24/7 crisis line, which is reached at 918-732-7979.
