Since November 5, 2020: Unspoken Words has been promoting the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples.
Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Native Americans are more likely to need alcohol or illicit drug use treatment than persons of any other ethnic group. The high use of alcohol and drug abuse are most of Unspoken Words main topics.
Suicide Prevention
American Indian and Alaskan Native communities have strikingly higher suicide rates compared to the overall U.S. population. The discussion is difficult but Native Americans must become willing to speak up about suicide.
Social Justice
Native Americans have faced genocide, dislocation, and various forms of physical, mental, and social abuse. These factors have led to high rates of violence, assault, suicide, poverty, and abuse among the Native American people today.
Boarding School Healing
Native American Boarding Schools (also known as Indian Boarding Schools) were established by the U.S. government in the late 19th century as an effort to assimilate Indigenous youth into mainstream American culture through education. This era was part of the United States’ overall attempt to kill, annihilate, or assimilate Indigenous peoples and eradicate Indigenous culture.
Cultural Care Paths
Resilience, healing, and wellness play important roles in Native American communities, and recognizing this is necessary when working with Native American individuals, families and communities.
Education
Native American children have the highest dropout rates of any ethnic group in the United States. Recent statistics from the Bureau of Indian Affairs have noted that 29% to 36% of all Native students drop out of school, mostly between the 7th and 12th grades. The lack of understanding of Native culture within the school/community are discussions that need to be had.