EUFAULA, Oklahoma – Promoting wellness and providing resources for youth are two of the central tenets of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Youth Wellness Program. One of the ways the program served youth within the nation was at the fourth annual Youth Wellness Eufaula Dormitory Health Fair on Nov. 30. It was open to all Eufaula Dorm students grades one through 12.
Tricia Fields, Project Director of the MCN Youth Wellness Program, said it is her program’s goal to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Students are at the forefront of the program.
“Other people are thinking of them and their well-being,” Tricia Fields said.
Some of the programs from MCN Behavioral Health featured included Youth Wellness, Tobacco Prevention, Trauma Grant, and the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant. Eufaula Dental donated dental products for the students.
The fair’s resources provided information on the early prevention of bad health habits, such as smoking or diets with little nutritional value. This prevents diseases like lung cancer and diabetes. It also provides activities that promote physical activity.
One of the resources promoted was the 24/7 crisis text line, a service that allows people with personal struggles to text a volunteer crisis counselor. The anonymous line is a resource for everyone.
“It doesn’t have to be suicidal thoughts necessarily, but it can be any type of crisis,” Fields said. “Or they just need to reach out to someone and have someone listen.”
The featured guest speaker was Jeremy Fields (Pawnee/Crow/Chickasaw), artist and founder of Thrive Unltd. Jeremy Fields was the keynote speaker for MCN Behavioral Health’s Youth Summit and Hope Conference. Originally from Oklahoma, he now resides in Colorado.
“He specializes in graffiti art, and he’s a graphic designer; he designs for websites,” Tricia Fields said.
Jeremy Fields has been doing graffiti, or mural art since he was a teenager and is self-taught. The mural he worked on at the health fair depicts the Mvskoke word vhesaketu (uh-hē-zaw-gē-duh), which means everlasting breath.
The fair’s primary purpose was to expose students to the full array of services and resources available. Tricia Fields hoped the students would leave with more than simply just resources but also a sense of care.
“I hope they take away that they were being thought of,” Tricia Fields said. “The idea and planning we had to bring information to them were to better their health physically, spiritually, and emotionally.”
