2009: Are You Ready to be a Wellness Blogger?

Welcome to the Native Wellness Institute’s blog spot! This blogspot is yours! In the coming months, we will be lining up contributors to the NWI blog. Who will be able to contribute to the NWI blog? The answer is simple: You! You will be able to:

• Sign up to be a guest author.
• Submit topics and ideas for blog postings.
• Comment on posts that appear on the blog.

The types of blog contributions that we will be looking for include:

• Your personal success stories or of people you know.
• Great photography. Take your own photos. Write about their beauty and why the images inspire you.
• Share the beauty of your tribal culture.
• Great art. Show what different artists are doing in your community.
• Videos. Share short videos that are inspiring.
• Tell us about the teachings of your elders. Share a story about your tribal leaders. Share lessons about wellness and healing that you have learned.
• Life can be hard. Share inspiring stories about how you overcame difficult times.
• Let us know about an experience that you had at one of our trainings or during your own community wellness or cultural event.
• Tell us about your travels around Indian Country or the rest of Turtle Island. Share stories about individuals who are doing fascinating things

Keep in mind that all postings will be reviewed prior to posting. We want positive content that promotes good feeling about our selves, families, and communities. We also will need to make sure that we have permission to post content, images, and graphics.

Check back here soon for instructions on how to contribute. Also, be sure to visit our website: www.nativewellness.com

And may 2009 be the best year ever for you and your loved ones!

Native Youth Blooper Video 1

 

Greetings - here is a fun 1 minute clip of the youth - listen and watch for the date seed hitting the soda can - it' even better in slow Mo.

Native Youth Leadership Academy Rock's San Diego, CA

Nearly 125 Native youth and adults who work with Native youth gathered at the Sycuan tribal resort in San Diego, California for the Native Wellness Institute’s annual Winter Native Youth Leadership Academy (NYLA) and Adult Working with Native Youth (AWNY) Training.

“The purpose of the NYLA is to provide our young people with an opportunity to learn, grow, heal, laugh and fill their hearts and minds with positive people, energy and wisdom” stated Robert Johnston, NWI founding board member and lead youth trainer. The training began with a traditional tobacco ceremony to help the young people understand how serious it was for them to step up and take a leadership role. Later, one of the youth accompanied Charles Tail Feathers, NWI board member and elder youth trainer, to teach the adults about the tobacco ceremony and the lessons received from it. Many adults were moved to tears as the young man, Joseph Bonnell-Hall, representing the Coeur d’Alene tribal community, stated how he was a better person and leader than he was when he woke up that morning due to the traditional teachings received. He presented the tobacco tie that he made in front of the adults to a young woman from his community who had served as a positive role model for him.

The NYLA and AWNY were sponsored by the American Legacy Foundation