| 1. |
Components of a Comprehensive Prevention Program:
|
| 2. |
Advancing HIV Prevention Initiative:
|
| 3. |
Evidence-Based Interventions:
|
| 4. |
Introduction to Storytelling as a Prevention Strategy:
|
|
Long ago there was a Cocoon Man and a Cocoon Woman. They were very much in love and spent their days and nights together. One day, by some circumstance, the man died and the woman was overcome by sorrow at the loss of her mate. She wrapped her grief around her like a beautiful shawl and she began to walk. Cocoon Woman walked and walked. After a year, she had walked around the world and returned to the place where she had begun. The Creator looked down and took pity on her. “You have grieved long enough,” he said gently. The Creator clapped his hands, and Cocoon Woman turned into a beautiful butterfly and flew away.
---Warm Springs
|
Stories for Community Healing
Values in the dominant society tend to emphasize individuality and independence. In contrast, Native cultures tend to value group and community efforts. When working in Native communities, take care to address community norms and views in order to impact risk behavior on the individual level. The Native Wellbriety Movement, presented by White Bison, Inc., uses a metaphor of a forest to describe this principle. In the metaphor, trees represent individuals and the forest represents the whole community. The program stresses that one tree cannot heal in a sick forest. A single tree can be removed from the forest and recover separately; however, it will become sick again once it returns to the unhealthy environment. According to Wellbriety, “You must create a healing forest.” 11
The story of the Cocoon Woman, a tale from the Warm Springs Tribe, tells of loss, healing, and the power of spirituality. This story is one of many included in the community prevention curriculum presented by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s Gathering of Native Americans (GONA). The four-day GONA curriculum uses story and ceremony to move people through the themes of Belonging, Mastery, Interdependence, and Generosity. The curriculum adapts easily to diverse community issues. It includes a planning module that can be used for HIV service planning.
The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a two-day workshop called Storytelling for Empowerment. Participants learn techniques to use storytelling in local substance abuse prevention projects. The program encourages participants to find stories from their own cultural backgrounds. A course description and sample stories are available here.
CASE IN POINT:
The Warm Springs Tribal Community Health Education Team (CHET) in Warm Springs, Oregon, uses stories as a part of its HIV prevention and education efforts. CHET uses stories that include HIV prevention messages in community theatrical presentations and in dramatized radio shows. The program features humorous stories (traditional and personal) to break down barriers when discussing challenging topics in community settings.
CASE IN POINT:
The Red Eagle Soaring Native American Theatre Group offers a Youth Theatre Program that seeks to empower AI/ANs through contemporary and traditional performing arts. The organization was founded in memory of a Nez Perce theatre artist who died of AIDS. Since 1990, Red Eagle Soaring has developed and produced “Story Circles,” an HIV/AIDS prevention play for youth audiences.
|
Stories with Groups
Just as stories work well in community-level interventions, they also function well at the group level. Traditional stories can be told in group settings and can be processed by counselors, case managers, and elders. Their powers emerge through discussion, art, and writing. Other group-level intervention methods include Talking Circles, twelve-step meetings, and sweat lodge ceremonies.
ACTIVITY: PROCESSING A STORY
Read the following Seminole story, Men Visit the Sky:12
Near the beginning of time, five Seminole Indian men wanted to visit the sky to see the Great Spirit. They traveled to the East, walking for about a month. Finally, they arrived at land's end. They tossed their baggage over the end and they, too, disappeared beyond earth's edge. Down, down, down the Indians dropped for a while, before starting upward again toward the sky. For a long time they traveled westward. At last, they came to a lodge where there lived an old, old woman.
"Tell me, for whom are you looking?" she asked feebly.
"We are on our way to see the Great Spirit Above," they replied.
"It is not possible to see him now," she said. "You must stay here for a while first."
That night the five Seminole Indian men strolled a little distance from the old woman's lodge, where they encountered a group of angels robed in white and wearing wings. They were playing a ball game the men recognized as one played by the Seminoles. Two of the men decided they would like to remain and become angels. The other three preferred to return to earth.
Then to their surprise, the Great Spirit appeared and said, "So be it!"
A large cooking pot was placed on the fire. When the water was boiling, the two Seminoles who wished to stay were cooked! When only their bones were left, the Great Spirit removed them from the pot, and put their bones back together again. He then draped them with a white cloth and touched them with his magic wand. The Great Spirit brought the two Seminole men back to life! They wore beautiful white wings and were called men-angels.
"What do you three men wish to do?" asked the Great Spirit.
"If we may, we prefer to return to our Seminole camp on earth," replied the three Seminoles.
"Gather your baggage together and go to sleep at once," directed the Great Spirit.
Later, when the three Seminole men opened their eyes, they found themselves safe at home again in their own Indian camp.
"We are happy to return and stay earthbound. We hope never to venture skyward again in search of other mysteries," they reported to the Chief of the Seminoles.
Now answer the following questions.
- What do you think the lesson/moral of the story is?
- What values are presented in this story?
- What do you think happened after this story ended?
- How can you apply the lesson of this story to what you’re facing?
- What does this story teach you about relationships and the responsibility of being in relationships?
- What character in the story do you identify with and why?
- Draw an image from the story that stands out in your mind.
|
Stories with Individuals
Stories with individuals can be processed with many of the same tools used in groups. In addition, Individual Level Interventions (ILI) may include journaling and creating multi-media digital stories. In the section entitled Personal Stories, there are more ideas for using stories with individuals.
NNAAPC released a manual called “Creating a Vision for Living with HIV in the Circle of Life.” The manual provides culture-based materials for HIV prevention, treatment, care, and research. It contains inspirational teachings, poetry, stories, and fact-based information on traditional medicine, spirituality, healing, and self-care. The workbook portion takes participants through reflective and healing exercises, which help them build a vision and plan for themselves. You can access it here.
Stories as Planning Tools
Collaborative planning presents challenges in Native communities. These challenges stem from a lack of attention to cultural differences and a need for relationship building among potential collaborative partners. Native people are relationship-oriented; they work more effectively with those whom they have developed strong personal bonds. Stories have been used successfully in Native American communities as planning tools. They build rapport and enable participants to speak openly during planning sessions, making for richer discussions and outcomes.
Building relationships is especially important in addressing HIV/AIDS within a community. When people find out that HIV-positive individuals live in their community, they may become unruly. This is an opportunity for a program and community to develop a collaborative prevention/education plan. Stories about diversity, struggle, courage, and interdependence have been used to help members move through the planning process to create a community vision to address HIV prevention. The right story can be used to help move community members from their initial emotional responses to a place where they can be active in the planning process.
|
