Education & Outreach Programs
Expanding Programs
As Sacred Indigenous Youth Education Circle (S.I.Y.E.C.) expands programs, reaching out to the communities at our various locations, we count on others' generosity to assist.
Our Native traditions have taught us to help those in need with an open heart, and we wish to share with the community at large, as well as with our own Native families.
We currently have a growing list of families for S.I.Y.E.C. education and outreach programs, as well as Native American & Non-Native organizations who's clients benefit from our programs.
A hungry child has difficulty learning, therefore we share information on accessing the local community food bank distribution and have created our Holiday Feast program.
S.I.Y.E.C.'s Holiday Feast program (open to general public) begins in the Inland Empire area of southern California and assists financially challenged families.
Our Holiday Feast program seeks to provide families in need with a holiday meal to brighten their lives as well as help them set aside their daily challenges, even if it's just for a little while.
We will include educational tools with each food package, such as a Native American language instruction packet, pencils, pens, notebook paper, children's books, etc.
We are requesting donations from generous and loving people in our communities in order to provide our "in need" families with a Holiday Feast on the two National Holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Although neither of these is a Native American holiday, we recognize the traditions and needs of our larger communities in order to promote tolerance and understanding between our people and those of other cultures.
Our Holiday Feast November 2007 has created smiles and enlarged our circle of friends; we look forward to matching or surpassing it's success in the future. Included in the Holiday Feast-Nov.2007 package was an Lakhota Language Education Packet, in keeping with S.I.Y.E.C.'s educational focus and goals.
For those of you who wish to become a donor to this program, or are a community minded organization who wishes to co-operate in joint ventures, please contact us at : sacred.indigenous.youth.education@gmail.com or (909) 428-0516 (please leave message and your call will be returned at our first opportunity).
We wish to thank each and every current and future donor and/or volunteer for this worthwhile program.
Love in action,
Terra S. Robertson / Dancingsong, Pres.
Sacred Indigenous Youth Education Circle
Indigenous Traditions & Culture Education and Indigenous Youth Theater Group
Indigenous Traditions & Culture
S.I.Y.E.C.'s Indigenous Traditions & Culture program is available to members of the Native American & Native Hawaiian communities in the Inland Empire area of southern California, as well as the Hawaiian Islands.
Revered Elders share knowledge with our Indigenous youth, in order to perpetuate the richness and beauty of our Cultural Traditions while providing them with a sense of belonging and continuity, which far too many have lost.
Indigenous Youth Theater Group
S.I.Y.E.C.'s Indigenous Youth Theater Group program will begin as soon as we find a space suitable to practice and perform. We are in currently in communication with several organizations working to arrange this.
If you are a parent or guardian of a Native American or Native Hawaiian youth who would like to be a part of our Indigenous Youth Theater program, please contact us.
If you are a community minded organization who would like to offer a space for us to practice and/or perform .... or donate costumes and supplies .... your generosity will be greatly appreciated.
If you are a member of the Native American or Native Hawaiian communities who would like to volunteer to assist with guidance, production, and/or performance, we would love for you to be a part of this program.
Indigenous Medicinal Plant Education
S.I.Y.E.C. is in communication with local Indigenous Native Herbalists & Educators in order to bring our Indigenous Traditional Herbs program to Native American youth/families residing in the Inland Empire area of southern California. We hope to expand this program to other locations in each State of the Union as soon as possible.
This program teaches about the local Indigenous medicinal plants, how to recognize them, how to use them, and how to grow them. The traditions of our Indigenous Medicine Ways is such an integral part of our culture, and must be retained by our people. We wish to share the general information regarding local medicinal plants with the general public, in an effort to improve inter-cultural relations and improve the availabilty of information on Natural Healing Ways. (Private traditional knowledge will be reserved for our Native people.)
Extended Family Program
S.I.Y.E.C.'s Extended Family program brings Native people of all ages together in order to improve the lives of all, and will include :
* Elders reading to young children
* Children & Teens visiting Elders & Veterans who are shut-ins, hospital patients or in nursing homes; this teaches our youth community responsibility
* Tutoring of youth by elders
* Native Elders teaching culture and traditions to our Native Youth
In modern society, the lack of an extended family creates a vacuum in our lives which can be filled by the generous and loving people who participate in this program.