The fourth pillar of AGS
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Inquiry Based Learning, IBL - February
In English, we researched a modern Native American issue or concept in modern Native American life and created a creative peace that both investigated the reasons behind it and brought attention to the issue. My peers and I decided to research the reasons behind higher Native American suicide rates in their youth throughout the United States. We found various reasons that might account for this higher suicide rates, some being: poor conditions inside reservations, inter generational trauma, substance abuse, and some others. We became so inspired by our question we created a video and contacted the families of some Native Americans who have attempted suicide, and others who completed the act. This project fits within the pillar of Take Action because we investigated an issue we cared about, gathered resources to support our hypotheses, and in the end created a product we were able to share with our intended audience. Furthermore, our IBL project supported the concept of the pillar in that it pushed us out of our comfort zone and couldn't have been achieved without a collective group effort. This project addresses my overarching question in that it depicts the enormous difference between American identity in modern United States and the Native one, something evinced in the statistics and major gaps in suicide rates and mental health available to minorities.
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To'hajiilee Elementary School Visit - April
During our New Mexico trip, we had the pleasure of visiting a school within the To'hajilee Indian Reservation and getting to know a 1st grade student for about 2 hours. I personally met with Kalaila, a wonderful first grader who knew all about prisms and whose favorite color was pink. We talked for a while about what motivated her, her family, her friends, and her life at the reservation. She mentioned how she had been learning Navajo, and how many of her friends dropped out of school and she never saw them again. Later, we played tag outside and she gave me a huge long hug, truly a highlight of my trip. This meeting was a major "Take Action" event, as the AGS class was able to experience first hand how the education system at reservations was and how people within it interacted with its environment. Furthermore, the visit supported the concept of the pillar in that it allowed the class to learn about poverty rates in the reservation and educational opportunities, and do something with this new information. This source addresses my overarching question in that it shows how this collision of cultures has allowed for some preservation of Native values in New Mexico by the use of reservations. It also shows, however, that the mixing of these cultures has prioritized modern life instead of deeply preserving Native tradition.
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