[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Youth Services Department has increased the number of community events recently. During the month of May, the American Indian Clubhouse (AIC) hosted a Youth Council meeting at the Gene Autry Museum where our youth were able to check out contemporary art by indigenous creators.
AIC also hosted a movie screening of “Te-Ata” for our Tiny Tots program. This film detailed the life of Mary Thompson Fisher, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and First American storyteller. This event inspired all attendees to follow their dreams and be resilient in their efforts to accomplish their goals.
June was a busy month for AIC; we kicked it off with a ‘Gardening 101’ session. Our staff taught our kids the importance of planting seeds, treating your garden with respect, and the three sisters’ method of harvesting.
The fun continued with a field trip to the California Science Center. We learned about science and nature and enjoyed lunch in the museum. The youth participants enjoyed watching “Under The Sea” in IMAX 3D. The kids loved this movie and enjoyed this learning experience.
The Youth Services Department was recently awarded the ’Route To Parks’ grant funded by the California State Parks. The funding and partnership allowed us to Mount San Jacinto State Park. Our youth and community members explored the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and hiked at an elevation of 8,500 feet above sea level. Be on the lookout for more events like these!
UAII’s 7 Generations Prevention & Aftercare held a sage harvesting event at the Tujunga Wash. They partnered with AIC in order to teach the youth and community about the proper, sustainable methods of harvesting this traditional medicinal plant. After the harvesting, we enjoyed lunch at Griffith Park’s Boney Island. This was an incredible experience for the families that participated- we plan to collaborate with other UAII departments in the future!
AIC’s calendar of events for July is filled with a virtual Youth Council meeting, beach cleanup day in Huntington Beach, orientation for our Counselors-in-Training program, a Family Movie Night, and the 32nd Annual Robert Sundance Summer Camp.
This year’s camp will be a week-long stay at the legendary Camp Bernasconi Ranch in Big Pine, California. We received an outstanding amount of applications and are excited to create life-long memories with our youth, community members, volunteers, and staff!
In the month of August, we will take our youth to Dodger Stadium for a day game to watch the Dodgers. For more information on all events and programming at UAII’s Youth Service Department, please visit our new website – uaiiclubhouse.org
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
