EHYC students explore life balance in Summer STEAM program
The Cow Creek Health and Wellness Behavioral Health team helped students at the Expanding Horizons Youth Center explore the connections between culture, prevention and good mental health practices during last week’s Summer STEAM program installment.
STEAM is a learning discipline focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Each summer, the EHYC puts together a Summer STEAM Program for Tribal students that incorporate members of the community and their businesses and hobbies.
The program for the last week of July incorporated Behavioral Health as a framework for how to live a balanced life.
Cow Creek Tribal members and Behavioral Health experts, Jesse Spain and Talon Gipson, helped lead the discussions and projects, along with Cow Creek Tribal member Sara Koyano.
Students learned how to draw the “Circle of Life, and discussed living with respect for Earth and other living things. Students also painted a medicine wheel, and a dream catcher.
Gipson shared his weaving knowledge with the group as well as ethical gathering practices while instructing students and staff how to weave cedar bark.
Koyano opened Day 3 of class with a smudge circle and gifted all students their own smudge kits. Students were presented stories and information from the book, “Understanding the Purpose of Life: 12 Teachings for Native Youth.” Copies of the book were gifted to the classroom and students.
