LCO Tribal Governing Board Proclaims April 'Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month'

The Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (LCO) Tribal Governing Board has proclaimed April “Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month” affirming its commitment to help protect children from neglect and abuse on the LCO Reservation.

Joined my members of the Tribal Governing Board, local law enforcement, LCO Child Services Personnel and Children's Justice Coordinator Jane Flygstad, LCO Chairman Michael Isham Jr. held an official proclamation signing event at the tribal office Tuesday, April 7, 2015.

According to the signed proclamation, American Indian children experience a high rate of child abuse and victimization at a rate of 11.6 children out of every 1,000. Acknowledging higher than average rates of anxiety, unemployment, substance abuse, depression, and alcohol use among the Native community, the proclamation identifies these as known risk factors for the mistreatment of children.
“It is important to remember that Child Abuse is not just hitting or hurting a child. Many times neglect is just as bad and often worse, when a parent exposes their child to drug abusing environments,” said Flygstad.

Education and training of adults is an effective method to help prevent child abuse, with strategies that succeed through partnerships between law enforcement, business, human services, faith communities, health care providers, and citizens of the community.

“Child abuse in any form - physical or mental - is unacceptable. We have all heard the proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. I want to call our whole community to action to protect our children and end child abuse in its entirety,” said Chairman Isham.

For a complete list of ongoing events throughout the month of April, visit www.lco-nsn.gov/events.

Waadookodaading to Unify with LCO Ojibwe School

In an unprecedented move in Wisconsin education, the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion school, a division of the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute, will unify with the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, a local Bureau of Indian Education contract school. Although Waadookodaading has been located on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation and has worked within the BIE's school campus for six years, it has until now maintained its charter through the Hayward Community School District.

The charter that was developed in order to open Waadookodaading fulfilled its initial intentions: Support an academic program that would create proficient speakers of the Ojibwe language who are able to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world.

Over the last few decades, Wisconsin has been experimenting with charter schools but have yet to develop an effective policy that would ensure longevity of charter schools. Currently, the charter schools that have been afforded the ability to be fiscally viable are primarily located in urban settings.
Waadookodaading is unique in that it is one of the original Tribal charter schools in the state of Wisconsin and a large number of participating students are citizens of tribal nations. It is also a language immersion school, meaning that all of the core subjects are taught through the medium of the Ojibwe language. It is because of these reasons that Waadookodaading and the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe were uniquely positioned to reclaim educational sovereignty by forming a partnership between the two entities.

When asked about incorporating an Ojibwe language track into the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, Lac Courte Oreilles tribal chairman Michael Isham, Jr., stated, “The federal government put millions (of dollars) into getting rid of our language and culture. This partnership marks a historical shift as federal funds will now be used to bring our language back.”

Mike Leahy, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School Director added, “We welcome this opportunity to offer a second educational track within our school. It has always been the mission of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School to support and promote educational excellence, especially in the area of Ojibwe language. We look forward to the addition of linguistic innovation that Waadookodaading brings to the table.”

Brooke Mosay Ammann, Executive Director of Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute, said, “this partnership is an opportunity to ensure the linguistic vibrancy of Lac Courte Oreilles and the surrounding area. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our many supporters over the last fourteen years. I would particularly like to thank Hayward Community School District Board and Craig Olson for their resolute support. We are looking forward to the many opportunities this new educational choice presents.”

LCO Boys & Girls Club Receives $316,000 Grant from Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Boys and Girls Club of Lac Courte Oreilles received a $316,000 grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) on Jan. 20, 2015. The grant will support a new addition to the Boys and Girls Club, providing additional space and expansion in the support of community programming for Lac Courte Oreilles youth.

“We are so excited to be able to fund our entire 5,000 square foot addition to our Boys and Girls Club,” said Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Karen Harden. “The Tribe responded to a huge need we have for additional space to serve our kids.”

The grant serves as additional funding to compliment the $600,000 Indian Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) earmarked for the club's expansion project. In 2014, Lac Courte Oreilles applied for and received the CDBG based on the need for more space at the LCO Boys and Girls Club. The Shakopee grant will fund a kitchen and cafeteria portion of the building, as well as provide enough funding to update, replace and add additional technology. These technologies will be used by the LCO Boys and Girls Club for after school homework and tutoring programs designed to assist in the academic achievement of LCO youth.

“We look forward to breaking ground in May of this year,” said Harden.

The SMSC has given a total of $1.8 million in grants to help support initiatives at Lac Courte Oreilles. Past funds have been used by LCO for economic recovery and various community-building initiatives.

The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe is committed to developing and supporting programs that benefit the health of its community and to help elevate the success of its youth.

For more information about the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community visit www.shakopeedakota.org.