Our last two Quest Talk events were held on August 4th and August 18th.
The second Quest Talk in the series focused on “Belonging.” Awesome guest speakers—Dr. Jason Sole, Tonie Garcia, and Alan Demeray—talked about how important it is for youth to find positive supports and groups to belong to, how to be aware of their emotional health, and how our Native traditions ensured that youth were a positive part of community. Fun activities throughout the night included cultural lessons and teachings, games, and late-night basketball!
The theme of the final Quest Talk was “Involvement.” It began with remarks from Mark Trahant on the steps of the State Capitol about how important it is to get involved. The youth heard about ways they can use social media to be storytellers and get their messages out to the world, and even get paid for it! Trahant—who was the journalist who asked President Bush about sovereignty in his infamous speechless moment—is the author of Trahant Reports, news about national and Congressional actions that impact Indian Country.
Youth also got to hear from others in the community who are impacting their world in ways such as starting the Little Food Pantries (thank you, Kim Dockter!!), adding Native American art to the Bismarck parks (UTTC students), and starting youth programs and the #noDAPL movement and advocating with President Obama (thank you, Kendrick Eagle!) The Park tour finished with fresh frybread and warm wojapi.
Later, participants worked hard on identifying and planning a project with teams. They also presented their ideas to the parents the next morning. Since we couldn’t decide on one winner, every participant left with a $25 cash prize! Great job to all of you!
