Youth Making a Difference

Recently I was approached by two of our very own youth members and let's just say that this act of kindness is definitely one for the books. Not only was it because of the act itself, but it was of what they said after showing me this adorable picture!...

Rebekah and Michelle proudly shared the photos of their new kitten and were very excited to share their experience adopting from an animal shelter. They mentioned multiple times, "If you ever want a pet, you should go to the animal shelter, there are so many dogs and cats there that need homes." This is definitely great advice if or when you or your family ever consider welcoming a pet into your home. Just remember though...bringing any kind of pet into your home requires ALOT of care, time, love and the upmost dedication. Not only is it a great amount of work to care for an animal, it's much like taking care of a child....adopting from shelters saves innocent, precious lives. A majority of the animals in shelters are either abandoned or abused or simply just given up because the family no longer wants to care for them. It's a sad reality but it truly was heartfelt when Rebekah and Michelle shared this experience with us here at the Youth Center and most importantly made a difference in this little fellas life who now has a second chance at life. Thank you girls!

Community Night August 2011

It's already the beginning of the month and Community Night will be here in no time! Community Night will be on Thursday, August, 25, 2011 at the Normal Heights Community Center on 4649 Hawley Blvd. San Diego, CA 92116.

The lovely Perse Hooper will present on Creating Successful Families based on the Franklin Covey Book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families.

Dinner will be provided but potluck items are always welcome :) Games and children's activities will also be provided. This is a San Diego American Indian Health Center sponsored event in partnership with the awesome Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association- Tribal TANF, Indian Human Resources, S.D. Unified School District Indian Education Program, Council of American Indian Organizations of San Diego County.

Please come out and join us for a fun night full off community interaction and plenty of information on creating successful families! Hope to see you all there!

For any further information please contact Christopher Scott at (619) 234-2158 ext111

Summer gung fu

SDAIHYC's infamous Gung Fu classes are now held on Fridays before Fitness Fun! They have also moved to Balboa Park, weather permitting of course! Daniel Domaguin has resigned as Gung Fu instructor and has passed his duties onto fellow friend/ martial artist, Ciani Palencia. Be sure to join us for Gung Fu on Fridays at Balboa Park and enjoy the weather that sunny San Diego allows us to have every day!

Skating 2 Days a Week!

The SDAIHYC Skateboarding Instructor, Geoff Godfrey, recently added a second day of Skateboarding Group to our summer schedule. Groups are now held on Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30 pm for Beginner Skateboarders AND on Thursdays from 4:30-6:00 p.m. for Advanced Skateboarders. Skating locations include the local Washington Skate Park a few miles from the Youth Center and beautiful Balboa Park.

Recently, youth members have began venturing out to the Ocean Beach Skate Park where they perfect the basics as well as learning more advanced skills. Before stepping foot onto a skateboard, youth members engage in a 2 hour “build your own skateboard” class and learn what the different parts of a skateboard are, as well as the origin and safety of skateboarding. If interested in attending and being a part of Skateboard Group please call (619) 531-1938.

Culture Camp 2011: "Water Fun in the Sun!"

Water is of utmost importance to every culture in the world, and for SDAIHC's 8th Annual Culture Camp, "Water Fun in the Sun!", 31 Native American youth, along with parent chaperones and staff, learned about water's role in the history and present-day lives of local tribes. Despite some unexpected adversity, this year's Culture Camp was a cascade of cheer!

Each day, we traveled to different parts of the County to experience three very different bodies of water. On day 1, we trekked up the North County mountains to the San Luis Rey River on the La Jolla Indian Reservation and were greeted with a presentation from Bill Nelson, John Parada and John Beresford from the Environmental Protection Office of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians. Before some inner tubing, we learned about preventing pollution in the fresh water system, how the cleanliness of the river's water can be checked by the presence of insects known as benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs), and about different poisonous plants we should avoid. View the video of day 1 on YouTube here.

On day 2, East County heat was subdued by the fresh, still waters of the El Capitan Reservoir, where we learned how to operate motorboats and rowboats to a cove on the edge of the reservoir. After a few hours of boating, wading, and a pizza lunch from Vinny's Brooklyn Pizza, we drove to the Barona Cultural Center, where Director Cheryl Hinton informed us about the forcible removal of the Barona and Viejas people from the original Capitan Grande Reservation in 1931, part of which was flooded to create the El Capitan Reservoir.

Day 3 brought us to Mission Beach, where members, staff and parents enjoyed a warm day of body boarding, skateboarding, water balloon battles, and barbecued kebabs. The Youth Center hand drum, made by Steve Garcia during Culture Camp 2010, was decorated with paint thumbprints of Culture Camp participants under the supervision of Vickie Gambala, Director of Soaring Eagles Families. Ms. Gambala and Richard Orvedal then guided the youth in gathering the materials to create medicine pouches.

Check out pictures from each day of Culture Camp 2011 on our Photobucket here (click on the sub-albums on the right-hand navigation bar).

YC marches with Nations of the 4 Directions in San Diego LGBT Pride 2011!

Health Center staff, Youth Center members, families and friends joined Karen Vigneault and the Nations of the 4 Directions in the 2011 San Diego LGBT Pride Parade!  Youth Center members handed out frisbees to parade onlookers, while staff and volunteers passed out prophylactics and personal lubricant for prevention outreach to the community.  Check out pictures of the event from within the parade's perspective here.

Happy 2nd birthday Youth Center!

We're a toddler now! To celebrate our birthday, we started with a day at the park, followed by a pork/beef taco AND the now-annual-tradition of spam with potatoes. We wouldv'e had homemade ice cream, but someone forgot to get ice...we'll do that tomorrow. Instead of ice cream, we had a sweet (literally) mocha-coconut roll, which was savored during a session of Friday Night Live, in which members played "The staring game." Here's to many, many more years for SDAIHYC!

Lumpia and twins

No reason for this post. Well, except to show yall the result of Youth Counselor/Administrative Assistant Erica Charley's first time making lumpia EVER, and syke you out with one of our sets of twins here at SDAIHYC watching Sponge Bob before Fitness Fun at the park...can you tell who is who?

SDAIHYC now on Facebook!

Yes, yes; the Youth Center has finally caught up with the 21st century and started a Facebook page. No, Facebook is not unblocked on the Youth Center computers. "Then why have a Facebook page?" you ask. Well, beyond the monthly emails, blog, website, and calendars handed out at the Youth Center, Facebook is the best way to update everyone on everything that's going on. For instance, we're closed on July 4th. Well, I guess you read that here on the blog, but it's on the Facebook page, too! You can "Like" our page here, and you can be our friend (be our FRIEND!) through this profile. Enjoy your holiday weekend; good luck to those at the Pechanga Powwow! Drive home safely!