Gathering of Native Americans (GONA)
Participant Manual

I. Introduction

The Macro/Circle team has primary responsibility for developing the culturally specific institutes. To ensure the GONA curriculum is developed by and for Native Americans, a team of Native American substance abuse prevention trainers and curriculum developers was assembled to work on the development of the GONA training curriculum. Macro issued a subcontract to Kauffman and Associates, Inc. (KAI), a 100 percent American Indian-owned firm, to coordinate the curriculum development. A needs assessment was conducted which included eight focus groups and one national planning meeting to determine the parameters of this curriculum. Finally, a Core Curriculum Committee of Native American substance abuse prevention trainers and educators was convened providing Native thought, perspective, and ownership of the curriculum. These individuals include:

Theda New Breast Ramos
John Bird
Cecilia Fire Thunder
Terry Tafoya
Patricia Martin
Gene Giron
JoAnn Kauffman
Catherine Reimer

A special thanks is due for our CSAP Project Officer, Susan Hailman, the CCPT Project Director, Joseph Motter, the CCPT Curriculum Development Manager, Richard Stephan and the curriculum development coordinator, Diane Cohen, for the reformatting and finalization of this curriculum. Thanks is also due to Circle Solutions, Inc., for their assistance in delivering the GONA training to communities and pilot sites.

The four days of the GONA curriculum incorporate the value of these four levels of human growth and responsibility which are found in Native culture:
 

Belonging: A place for all ages, a place for all kinds of people. The first day represents infancy and childhood, a time when we need to know how we belong.
1
Mastery: Empowerment, for individual and for community. The second day honors adolescence as a time of vision and mastery.
2
Interdependence: Action, Community leadership. The third day is symbolized by adults, integral and interdependent within their families and communities.
3
Generosity: Teacher/Elder, and resources in the community. The final day honors our elders, who give their knowledge and teachings to our generations of the future.
4

II. Philosophical Overview

1. Capacity building for Indian people who intend to become change agents, community developers, witnesses, and leaders.
2. Community healing IS prevention.
3. Healthy traditions ARE prevention. We will provide a framework of healthy traditions, spirituality, ritual, and ceremony, which is fundamental to effective prevention.
4. Holistic approach to wellness, interconnectedness, and interdependence shows that the "systems approach" was traditionally ingrained in Native American belief systems (Balance and Harmony)CInclusive and everyone and everything is of value.
5. Present a correct history of the important role Indians play in American history, culture, and government, and examine the historical trauma that impacts our struggle and recovery today.
6. Effective prevention must include the grassroots community. We must ensure a balance of "roots with suits." Top-down/bottom-up paradigm shift for empowerment. The message needs to come from the community. Everyone is of value in the community healing process. Everyone has a purpose.
7. Influence and empower individuals to understand the importance of their role in the holistic universe.
8. Honor, respect, and incorporate ceremonies, rituals, and spiritual teachings of the people, "honoring the purpose of life."
9. Effective prevention provides means for feelings and healings to translate to actions or different behaviors (corrective emotional experience).
10. We will create a safe place, forum, and format for communities to share, heal, and dialogue.

GOALS OF THE TRAINING:

1. To provide a training experience that offers hope, encouragement, and a positive basis for Native community action.
2. To provide Native communities with a framework to examine historical trauma and its impact on alcohol and substance abuse issues today.
3. To provide a training experience that emphasizes skills transfer and community empowerment.
4. To present a prevention strategy framework that is based on values inherent in traditional Native cultures such as belonging, mastery, interdependence, and generosity.5

III. Values of the Gathering of Native Americans Curriculum

1. We will ensure that information or presentations that open people up must provide a time for processing and closure.
2. Community-based "teams" will be encouraged to attend as a group, in order to affirm and strengthen the knowledge, skills, and abilities of community teams through the application of cross­learning.
3. A "Training of Trainers" or "Training of Facilitators" model is essential to facilitate community-based empowerment through skills transference.
4. Training methods will use culturally appropriate learning activities, emphasizing experiential and visual experiences, through the use of intuition, creativity, depth, and light humor accommodated by a pace of comfort, flexibility, tempo, and a variety of experiences, i.e., outdoor activities.
5. Training will integrate local and regional rituals and ceremonies to reinforce training goals, as appropriately approved locally, to respect the diversity of Indian values, beliefs, and traditions.
6. Values clarification through rituals is an important process and communities can recreate or rediscover healthy rituals and ceremonies to reinforce and maintain their beliefs.
7. Location of training will ensure a safe environment that nurtures and validates the healing process and allows participants "to break the silence."
8. Trainers must commit to the model of "walk the talk" and be credible.
9. Trainers will ensure the opportunity to build, expand, and mend relationships; create bonding through social commitment and support (skill building and empathetic listening); and enhance the traditional communication skills and customs.
10. Laughter and humor is healing, and will be modeled in training, recognizing that personal growth and healing are achieved in multiple ways.

IV. Target Audience

• Indian Communities which are community partnership grantees
• Community partnerships with significant Indian involvement
• Indian communities concerned about substance abuse prevention invited by the host Native partnership

V. Pre­Registration

A) A description of the GONA Training announcing the dates, site, and host partnership for the gathering.

B) Suggestions of preparation rituals participants can go through: journaling; drawing; sweats.

C) A request for expectations that the participants have that can be returned during registration.

D) Encourage community teams to attend as a team and include on pre-registration forms, "How do you describe your team?" Try to balance teams by gender, age, and role in the community.

VI. Registration

• Upon registration, each participant will have a Polaroid picture taken. This picture will become a part of the team-building exercises and will be returned to participants upon their completion of the training with affirming statements written on the picture frame from fellow registrants.
• The written evaluations will also be distributed either at registration or immediately thereafter. The evaluations are in three components:
1. Participant ProfileCupon registration
2. Participant FeedbackCat conclusion of the 4-day GONA
3. Participant FollowupCmailed to participant months later
• Trainers should be on­site and be "on" to welcome the participants as they enter the training area and to assist with any needed activities upon registration (such as taking the Polaroid pictures).
• Registration by teams
• Pictures taken onsite

VII. Module Overview

DAY ONE: BELONGING

Module #1: "Belonging: All My Relations" (Show Transparencies T-1.4 and T-1.5 during overview of Module #1).

• Establish feeling of inclusion and belonging
• Curriculum framework/overview
• Philosophical base and guiding principles

Module #2: "Belonging: Family/Team Building"

• Community team building
• Trust building, risk taking, fun
• Interactive, experiential, group process, and conflict resolution

Module #3: "Belonging: Identity with Cultural Strengths"

• Build team shields through team development
• Resiliency/Will to survive/Our strengths
• Understanding our perceptions, prejudices, and cultures
• Create a safe place for participants to do individual work (spirit houses)

DAY TWO: MASTERY

Module #4: "Mastery: Starting the Path"

• What does mastery mean?
• What does "Starting the Path" to healing mean?
• Look at how to start strategic planning
• Begin with self to wellness, family charts

Module #5: "Mastery: Historical Context"

• What broke apart the Indian world?
• What holds it together?
• Oppressed becomes oppressorCchild abuse, domestic violence, etc.
• Letting go of historical trauma

Module #6: "Mastery: Rites of Passage"

• Rebirth, recreate, renewal
• Shift to paradigm of empowerment and renewal

DAY THREE: INTERDEPENDENCE

Module #7: "Interdependence: Responsibilities"

• Symbolically return to the circle
• Balance and finding Native community wellness

Module #8: "Fostering Personal and Community Development"

• Restore "ritual" in family and community
• Develop skills for community development
• Individual commitments to community wellness

DAY FOUR: GENEROSITY

Module #9: "Generosity: Tradition of Giving Back to Community"

• Action plans, what next, how to implement
• Regional planning among community teams or partnerships
• How to sustain momentum (to leave drum with region and ask them to plan next gathering on their own)

Module #10: "Community Give Away"

• What gifts do you have to give to your community?
• Affirmation for work at GONA
• Congratulations!

VIII. Outline SummaryCAGENDA

DAY ONE--Module 1: "Belonging: All My Relations"--Large Group

I. Activity/Full Group: Drum Call. Local drum group or trainer. (15 minutes)

II. Storytelling: (5 minutes)

III. Introduction: "All My Relations" (35 minutes)

IV. Storytelling: "Creation Story" (25 minutes)

V. Exercise: The Belmont Processing Exercise (40 minutes)

BREAK (20 minutes)

DAY ONECModule 2: "Belonging: Family/Team Building"CBreak­Out

I. Establish Team Norms/Team Break­Outs (10 minutes)

II. Define Team Building and How to Create "Family" (15 minutes)

III. Interactive: Experiential Activities (30 minutes)

III. Continued: Return to Break­Out by Community TeamsCTeams begin shield-making assignment (45 minutes).

IV. Exercise/Full Group: Sharing Our Shields: Facilitator will gather every participant back into the larger group (30 minutes).

DAY ONECModule 3: "Belonging: Identity with Cultural Strengths"CLarge Group and Break-Out

I. Lecture/Exercise/Full Group: Mini-Teach and Discussion: "Native Cultural Values and Perceptions: Facilitating the 3­F=s Exercise" OR show the video "ZEA" (15 minutes)

II. Lecture/Full Group: Mini-Teach and Discussion: "Perceptions and Prejudice within our own Communities" (15 minutes)

III. Exercise: Option: Native Culture Walk (60 minutes)

IV. Closure: Return to full group (20 minutes)

DAY TWOCModule 4: "Mastery: Starting the Path"CLarge Group

I. Activity/Full Group: Drum Call, Opening Ceremony (15 minutes)

II. Storytelling: Legend about "The Origin of Basket" (10 minutes)

III. Discussion/Full Group (20 minutes)

IV. Mini­Lecture/Full Group: Understanding the Family Chart (20 minutes)

V. Activity/Individual: Beginning the Family Chart (30 minutes)

VI. Closure/Process: (10 minutes)

DAY TWOCModule 5: "Mastery: Historical Context"CLarge Group

I. Mini­Teach and Video: Define multigenerational trauma and cultural oppression (45 minutes, includes 30 minutes of video)

• First half of video (Wiping the Tears) and discussion

II. Exercise/Individual: Mind MapCwhat broke apart the Indian world? (20 minutes)

III. Video/Discussion: Resiliency FactorsCwhat holds our world together (45 minutes, including 30 minute video)

• Second half of video (Wiping Tears) and discussion

IV. Exercise/Option of Large or Small Groups: Rock exercise for closure, transition, letting go (45 minutes)

• Story of Rock
• Explain the symbolic closure of the ritual

BREAK (20 minutes)

DAY TWOCModule 6: "Mastery: Rites of Passage"CLarge Group

I. Storytelling/Full Group: Death and Rebirth story, i.e., The Widow as Butterfly (10 minutes)

II. Guided Visualization/Full Group: Imagery for rite of passage (20 minutes)

III. Diads: Discussion about renewal and rebirth from trauma (10 minutes)

IV. Closure (10 minutes)

DAY THREECModule 7: "Interdependence: Responsibilities"CLarge Group & Teams

I. Activity/Full Group: Drum Call and Opening Ceremony (10 minutes)

II. Play/Full Group: Traditional Native stories of the Northwest are consolidated in the play "According to Coyote" (60 minutes)

BREAK (20 minutes)

III. Exercise in Teams: Interdependence and Renewal Strategies (45 minutes)

IV. Lecture/Teams: Teaching Quotes (20 minutes) slides, people from audience

DAY THREECModule 8: "Fostering Personal and Community Development"

I. Storytelling/Full Group: Coyote and the Blood Monster (15 minutes)

II. Mini-Teach/Full Group: What is Native Community Wellness? (30 minutes)

Optional Video: "The Native American Prevention Project Against AIDS and Substance Abuse" (25 minutes)

III. Exercise/Mixed Rounds: Active Community Development (1 hour, 15 minutes)

Use: Community Wheel (CCPT)

1) Develop the Community Wheel

2) Then identify strategies of how to utilize their resiliency factors

BREAK (20 minutes)

IV. Exercise/Team or Full Group: Commitment Candles (60 minutes)

DAY FOURCModule 9: "Generosity: Tradition of Giving Back to Community"

I. Activity/Full Group: Drum Call (10 minutes)

II. Exercise/Teams: Review Team Shield/Values/Plans (60 minutes)

III. Exercise/Full Group: Regional Sharing of Plans (45 minutes)

IV. Exercise/Mixed Rounds: Sharing Regional Resources (30 minutes)

DAY FOURCModule 10: "Community Give Away"CLarge Group

I. Lecture/Full Group: Directions to participants (15 minutes)

II. Ceremony/Exercise/Full Group: Give Away (45 minutes)

III. Exercise/Full Group: Open Expression (30 minutes)

IV. Evaluation/Full Group: Self-Administered Form (15 minutes)

V. Closing Ceremony: Presentation by the Host Partnership (30 minutes)