Welcome to the 2011 holiday season!

The winter holidays are upon us, and we kicked them off at the Youth Center on Monday with festive decorations all around (including our tree, with Western decorations, Ojos de Dios, member-made ornaments, angels, and apparently, a skating antelope...). Check out the monthly calendar, because December is jam-packed with a multitude of events!

Congratulations to the Native American Month honorees!

November is National Native American Heritage Month.  This year, the City of San Diego Human Relations Commission, in partnership with Councilmember Todd Gloria, the Council of American Indian Organizations of San Diego County, and Indian Human Resource Center honored six outstanding members of the Native American community in San Diego.  Among the honorees that were recognized last Friday were SDAIHC employees: our very own Youth & Family Services Coordinator Christopher Scott and nurse Ronnie Whitehorse!  After the honoring, the Health Center was treated to an Indian taco feast from the Razo family, hosted at the Youth Center.

YC Harvest Dinner 2011

On Tuesday, November 15th, the Youth Center hosted our third annual Harvest Dinner, complete with turkey and all the fixins (except for the cranberry sauce, which I forgot to put out until the very last second...).  Thank you to everyone who came and brought food to share in this occasion of sharing and gratitude.  In relation to the season, cultural arts teacher and Elder Group facilitator Sparrow Goudey screened "After the Mayflower" from the PBS series "We Shall Remain."  For pictures of the day, click here.  Included in the photo album are also pictures from prior to the Harvest Dinner, when YC members and staff went to Balboa Park's Museum of Art to view pretty paintings and make their own art.

Harvest time=pine cone turkey time!

With harvest comes harvest-related art projects. Meet Mother Theresa (right), the pine cone turkey created by our art instructor Cari Gloria.  Also, say hi to Gobbles (left), Fernando's one-eyed, lock-jawed, beauty-marked, rustled-feathered turkey.  He's still beautiful, though.  *GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!*

We're in a limo!

Thank you to our wonderful newest volunteer Malik King, who treated our youth members to an awesome limo ride from the YC to SDSU for the 35th anniversary of the American Indian Studies Program on Thursday and to the SDSU vs UNM football game on Saturday!  Pictures from the latter limo ride and the football game itself can be seen here.

Happy Halloween from SDAIHYC!

The staff here at the Youth Center wish you a happy belated Halloween, we hope you had a safe time trick o' treating, responsibly partying, or just chilling at home watching scary movies.  Or knitting, if that's what you do on Halloween...


Much love,
Christopher, Gabe, Daniel, Erica, Joe and Melisa.  Err...Gabe, Christopher, Erica, Daniel, Melisa and Joe!


PS>>This is our 100th blog post!  Just sayin'...