Source: COLLEGE OF MENOMINEE NATION submitted to NRP
MENOMINEE YOUTH IMMERSION PROGRAM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1024925
Grant No.
2020-47002-32726
Cumulative Award Amt.
$193,416.00
Proposal No.
2020-05296
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2020
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2024
Grant Year
2020
Program Code
[NK]- Extension Tribal College Program
Recipient Organization
COLLEGE OF MENOMINEE NATION
PO BOX 179, N172 HWY 47/55
KESHENA,WI 54135
Performing Department
Continuing Education
Non Technical Summary
This Extension Special Emphasis proposal for the Menominee Youth Immersion Program is designed to foster Menominee Youth development by instilling core values that focus on teaching Menominee Language and Culture. It proposes to do so through interaction of tribal elders, Menominee Language instructors, College of Menominee Nation (CMN) staff, Menominee High School students and a CMN intern. Brandon Frechette, Youth Program Coordinator at CMN will be Project Director. Mr. Frechette will manage the high school program. The Menominee language is in a precarious state where less than .001% of the Tribe's 9500 members are first language speakers. These teachings are essential for Menominee youth who struggle with understanding their personal and cultural identities. Understanding personal identity is an integral part of growth for young Menominee youth and will help them understand their place in life and what career choices fit them well. This will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
80605993040100%
Knowledge Area
806 - Youth Development;

Subject Of Investigation
0599 - Recreational resources, general/other;

Field Of Science
3040 - History;
Goals / Objectives
Goal: To heal historical trauma by revitalizing the Menominee language, traditional methods of agriculture, and intergenerational mentorships.Objective 1: Hold a course for high school students to become certified in the Menominee language.Objective 2: Teach high school students about the traditional Menominee raised bed gardening.Objective 3: Facilitate a mentorship relationship between a high school student and a Menominee elder to bridge the gap between youth and elders.
Project Methods
Menominee Language Immersion Program: Participants will receive college credits for taking Menominee language classes at CMN through the college's Learn & Earn program that is designed for high school students.Training in Traditional Gardening Techniques: In a one-day training led by Master Gardener and UW-Extension employee Jennifer Gauthier, students will be taught basic gardening techniques along with the most up-to-date knowledge of ancient Menominee gardening. Raised Bed Gardening with Community Elders: Participants will combine their newly acquired language and gardening skills in a mentorship program with community elders. Students will be paired with an elder who has prior knowledge of the Menominee language. Together, the student and elder will construct and maintain a raised garden bed, using the student's newly acquired knowledge of traditional Menominee gardening. The pair will practice GRANT13089506 / 2020-05296 8/32 Menominee with each other while maintaining the garden. This provides an opportunity for students to practice Menominee in a conversational setting, outside of the classroom. The garden experience will serve three purposes: to strengthen students' Menominee speaking skills, to bridge the gap between youth and elders in the community, and to reconnect the participants to their ancestral ways of gardening.Storytelling: Storytelling holds an important place in Menominee culture. It is a way of passing on knowledge and a sense of cultural identity. Traditionally, storytelling is done when the ground is frozen. In the winter, students and elders will gather for a storytelling event in place of a regular language lesson. The event will strengthen the students' sense of cultural identity while improving their language skills. Harvest feast: Students and elders will provide a dish from the produce that was grown in their gardens. This gathering will include traditional song and dance with a seed blessing that was practiced by the Menominee for years at the beginning and end of a growing season.Visits to historical and archaeological sites: Dr. Overstreet, tribal archaeologist, will lead a visit to ancient garden bed sites. Students will learn how the garden beds were constructed, and have the experience of standing on the very land where their ancestors sustained themselves for 500 years. Students will combine their knowledge of basic gardening techniques with their knowledge of raised bed construction to create a raised garden bed of their own.Medicinal Plant & Medicine: Bonnie Mckiernan, an expert on medicinal plants and medicines will lead the group in identifying and gathering native plants that are used for medicinal remedies. Students will learn the distinction from medicinal plants used for centuries by their ancestors and the western medicines used today. This will take place on the CMN phenology trail on the CMN main campus.The Dean of Continuing Education, Youth Program Coordinator, Institutional Research Director and staff will play key roles in assessing the evaluation of the project. Overall, the evaluation will include assessments on language and cultural knowledge before and after specific summer programming and at the end of the grant period. Participants will be surveyed at the beginning and end of the program. They will be asked how they perceive their knowledge of Menominee language and culture. The quality of participants' experience in the program will be evaluated through their journals and videos. Program success will be evaluated based on the number of students who complete the program.

Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:High School freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors from Menominee Indian High School and Shawano High School. Changes/Problems:There was a period when there was no program director. Our new Program Coordinator is Matilda Peters. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Youth Project Coordinator attended the AiSES Conference and FALCON Conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Social media, the College of Menominee Nation website, and to celebrate the College of Menominee Nations 30th Anniversary, "Land Grant Week," studentspresented about the program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to work with MenominiYou on language and culture immersion efforts: Outreach Menominee Language and cultural opportunities within the community. Enroll students in the Menominee Language srpingcourse at the College of Menominee Nation. The majority of students are seniors and would like to see them through to graduation.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? I traveled to New Mexico to mentor students who visited the local TCU. Collaborated with Emler Denny, MenominiYou (Language Revitalization) to assist the students in Menominee language courses. Students attended and participated in local community projects focusing on language and culture awareness. We also traveled to the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida to exchange culture with their Boys and Girls Clubs of the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida. Raised garden beds have been built and delivered to special elders of their choice.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

    Outputs
    Target Audience:High School freshman, Sophomores and Juniors from Menominee Indian High School and Shawano High School. Changes/Problems:We are in the process of changing over Principal Investigators and Mr. Brandon Frecette took a different youth position in the community this past summer. Our new Program Coordinator is Matilda Peters. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?YouthProject Coordinator attended the AiSES Conference and FALCON Conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Social media, College of Menominee Nation website, and NIFA monthly presentation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to work with MenominiYouon immersion. Outreach Menominee Language and cultural opportunities within the community. Enroll students in Menominee Language summer course at the College of Menominee Nation.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? The goal of the project is to help Menominee youth establish a sense of belonging, has been a strong effort for the project with seven Menominee high school youth. The college has worked with MenominiYoua grassroots-led non-project organization that offers Menominee language training at all levels. The program utilized the circle of courage that identifies the need for independence, generosity, belonging, and mastery within its teachings. This was accomplished by helping the students find their strength, guiding them and helping them understand that they are in control of their own world, with a strong emphasis on the importance of giving to others and sharing knowledge such as language and culture.Immersion and language utilized a teaching method known as Total Physical Response (TPR). This is a method of teaching language or vocabulary concepts by using physical movement to react to verbal input. This was intense language instruction throughout the summer of 2022.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

      Outputs
      Target Audience:High school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors from Menominee Indian High School. Changes/Problems:We are in the process of changing over Principal Investigators and Mr. Brandon Frecette took a different youth position in the community this past summer. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Youth Project Coordinator was able to attend the AiSES conference How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Social media, College of Menominee Nation website, and NIFA monthly presentation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to work with MenominiyoU on immersion and enroll students in Menominee language course at the College of Menominee Nation.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? The goal of the project to help Menominee youth establish a sense of belonging has been a strong effort for the project with seven Menominee high school youth. The college has worked with MenominiuoU a grassroots-led non-project organization that offers Menominee language training at all levels. The program utilized the circle of courage that identifies the need for independence, generosity, belonging, and mastery within its teachings. This was accomplished by helping the students find their strength, guiding them and helping them understand that they are in control of their own world, with a strong emphasis on the importance of giving to others and sharing knowledge such as language and culture. Immersion and language utilized a teaching method known as Total Physical Response (TPR). This is a method of teaching language or vocabulary concepts by using physical movement to react to verbal input. This was intense language instruction throughout the summer of 2022.

      Publications