Problems Facing Native American Youths

Problems Facing Native American Youths
Author: United States Senate
Publisher:
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2020-03-10
Genre:
ISBN:

Problems facing Native American youths: hearing before the Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, second session on oversight hearing on problems facing Native American youths, August 1, 2002, Washington, DC.

Advancing Health Equity for Native American Youth

Advancing Health Equity for Native American Youth
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 75
Release: 2016-06-22
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309376165

More than 2 million Americans below age 24 self-identify as being of American Indian or Alaska Native descent. Many of the serious behavioral, emotional, and physical health concerns facing young people today are especially prevalent with Native youth (e.g., depression, violence, and substance abuse). Adolescent Native Americans have death rates two to five times the rate of whites in the same age group because of higher levels of suicide and a variety of risky behaviors (e.g., drug and alcohol use, inconsistent school attendance). Violence, including intentional injuries, homicide, and suicide, accounts for three-quarters of deaths for Native American youth ages 12 to 20. Suicide is the second leading cause of deathâ€"and 2.5 times the national rateâ€"for Native youth ages 15 to 24. Arrayed against these health problems are vital cultural strengths on which Native Americans can draw. At a workshop held in 2012, by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, presenters described many of these strengths, including community traditions and beliefs, social support networks, close-knit families, and individual resilience. In May 2014, the Academies held a follow-up workshop titled Advancing Health Equity for Native American Youth. Participants discussed issues related to (1) the visibility of racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care as a national problem, (2) the development of programs and strategies by and for Native and Indigenous communities to reduce disparities and build resilience, and (3) the emergence of supporting Native expertise and leadership. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

The New Trail of Tears

The New Trail of Tears
Author: Naomi Schaefer Riley
Publisher: Encounter Books
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2021-11-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1641772271

If you want to know why American Indians have the highest rates of poverty of any racial group, why suicide is the leading cause of death among Indian men, why native women are two and a half times more likely to be raped than the national average and why gang violence affects American Indian youth more than any other group, do not look to history. There is no doubt that white settlers devastated Indian communities in the 19th, and early 20th centuries. But it is our policies today—denying Indians ownership of their land, refusing them access to the free market and failing to provide the police and legal protections due to them as American citizens—that have turned reservations into small third-world countries in the middle of the richest and freest nation on earth. The tragedy of our Indian policies demands reexamination immediately—not only because they make the lives of millions of American citizens harder and more dangerous—but also because they represent a microcosm of everything that has gone wrong with modern liberalism. They are the result of decades of politicians and bureaucrats showering a victimized people with money and cultural sensitivity instead of what they truly need—the education, the legal protections and the autonomy to improve their own situation. If we are really ready to have a conversation about American Indians, it is time to stop bickering about the names of football teams and institute real reforms that will bring to an end this ongoing national shame.

American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Mental Health

American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Mental Health
Author: Paul Spicer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2011-09-22
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0313383057

This unique book examines the physical, psychological, social, and environmental factors that support or undermine healthy development in American Indian children, including economics, biology, and public policies. The reasons for mental health issues among American Indian and Alaska Native children have not been well understood by investigators outside of tribal communities. Developing appropriate methodological approaches and evidence-based programs for helping these youths is an urgent priority in developmental science. This work must be done in ways that are cognizant of how the negative consequences of colonization contribute to American Indian and Alaska Native tribal members' underutilization of mental health services, higher therapy dropout rates, and poor response to culturally insensitive treatment programs. This book examines the forces affecting psychological development and mental health in American Indian children today. Experts from leading universities discuss factors such as family conditions, economic status, and academic achievement, as well as political, social, national, and global influences, including racism. Specific attention is paid to topics such as the role of community in youth mental health issues, depression in American Indian parents, substance abuse and alcohol dependency, and the unique socioeconomic characteristics of this ethnic group.

"All the Real Indians Died Off"

Author: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Publisher: Beacon Press
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2016-10-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0807062669

Unpacks the twenty-one most common myths and misconceptions about Native Americans In this enlightening book, scholars and activists Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker tackle a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations. Tracing how these ideas evolved, and drawing from history, the authors disrupt long-held and enduring myths such as: “Columbus Discovered America” “Thanksgiving Proves the Indians Welcomed Pilgrims” “Indians Were Savage and Warlike” “Europeans Brought Civilization to Backward Indians” “The United States Did Not Have a Policy of Genocide” “Sports Mascots Honor Native Americans” “Most Indians Are on Government Welfare” “Indian Casinos Make Them All Rich” “Indians Are Naturally Predisposed to Alcohol” Each chapter deftly shows how these myths are rooted in the fears and prejudice of European settlers and in the larger political agendas of a settler state aimed at acquiring Indigenous land and tied to narratives of erasure and disappearance. Accessibly written and revelatory, “All the Real Indians Died Off” challenges readers to rethink what they have been taught about Native Americans and history.

Problems Facing Native American Youths

Problems Facing Native American Youths
Author: Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 83
Release: 2002-09-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780756744458

Witnesses: Vincent M. Biggs, M.D., Amer. Academy of Pediatrics; Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. Senator from CO, v. chmn., Comm. on Indian Affairs; J.R. Cook, exec. dir., United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc.; Teresa Dorsett, member, Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma; Dan Lewis, chmn., Boys & Girls Clubs of Amer., Native Amer. Nat. Advisory Comm.; Nick Lowery, Native Vision; Neal McCaleb, assist. sec., Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Dept. of the Interior; Bill Mehojah, dir., Office of Indian Educ. Programs, BIA; & John P. Walters, dir., Office of Nat. Drug Control Policy. Appendix includes a prepared statement by the Amer. Psychiatric Assoc. Illus.