Youth:

• Education & mental health of our youth.(now more than ever, we must prioritize the mental health and well-being of children). Trade schools, charter schools (feasibility studies). Drop out rates and HS graduation rates are lower for native Americans than any other group.
• The health and well-being of our students is the cornerstone of young minds before learning can even take place. 31% increase in mental health related doctor visits in 2020 for youth in America. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Prevention: Deep seeded intergenerational trauma, healing must take place for our tribal students to be successful.

Financial sustainability & stability: 

• Small business entrepreneurship, creating new small business opportunities and business incentives for entrepreneurship.
• Creating a resource center for small business.
• Utilizing federal & state dollars when ever possible and applying for grants: IHS, BIA, HUD); being fiscally responsible
• Economic development 

Elder Care: 

• Taking care of our Elders; transitional housing from independent living to foster care to assisted living. “Aging in place.”
• Technology assistance to stay connected: quality of life
• Resources for tribal families when critical care is needed or elders are facing a serious illness.
• Community ambassadors for elder care and connection.

Sovereignty, Culture & Community:

• The government has trust responsibilities in fulfilling & upholding trust & treaty obligations with tribal nations and we have to be steadfast in ensuring that happens. 
• Preserving the right to protect tribal culture, spirituality and practices. 
• Communication & tribal member engagement

• Collecting and archiving today’s elder wisdom for tomorrow’s leaders and future generations. (ie, Remember and capture Tribal Elder quotes, “We were restored on prayer”; “We are a praying people”, “We are spiritual people”.)

•  Representation in city, county, state and federal jurisdictions to ensure tribal sovereignty is understood, respected and protected in the future.
  
• Establishing a Ceremonial Day of Prayer and Ceremonial prayer site for gatherings, sweat lodge, and hiking trails.
• Creating a Legacy Wall of all past Tribal Council members with names, photos and dates of service located at the Governance Center.
• Enhancing Elder Care and programs.
• Establish Treaty Signing celebrations and acknowledgements on the anniversaries of treating signings for community connectedness and cultural education.

• A collective, unified statement on social media from the office of the Tribal Council as a Marketing/Communications strategy on key issues. (i.e, the week prior to per cap or when that decision is made either by a Tribal Council appointed by council indicating amount, links, reminders and info on how to access financial information and what can and can’t be shared on social media etc. & also for other high-level decisions that are made by TC and/or Boards.
• Tribal Resources & Outreach by age (birth); (turning 18), becoming an elder at 55 (outreach)~ A gift for tribal members when they turn 18 or new elders: a pocketbook of our tribal constitution with names and/or photos of current and past council members’ names. Do 18 year olds receive a packet, phone call, resources, have a mtg set up to talk to them? Voters info, register, health and medical resources, vocational rehab, insurance, scholarship opportunities, financial education, etc.
• “Council Corner” on the Grand Ronde webpage. Links to blogs, Facebook pages, personal webpages, etc – dialogue with member questions and responses by Tribal Council, offer something on a relational level.
• Tribal government alerts app (safety, emergency notices, elder passing), members can “opt” in.

• Tribal member dashboard – members only webpage with meeting minutes,  enrollment reports, Tilikum wawa and resources etc without having to request them.
• Tilikum Wawa specials available online and in Audio format.
• TC video announcements – weekly highlights of priorities/workweek: Posting Schedules, recap of trainings, insight, travel, thoughts, Q&A, etc.
• Create Advisory Adhoc Committees for tribal members who want to be involved and engaged for various tribal issues. (such as calling members who are not registered to vote or disengaged with the tribe). Add option on SVF allowing candidates to receive contact info. Increased efforts and priority to engage with eligible voting members who are not registered. Utilize interested and engaged tribal members as an adhoc group to contact those members, no phone numbers or addresses available to members or candidates otherwise to assist in this regard.

• Partner with the Education department, community partners like local colleges & universities (practicum students, interns, etc.) for students needing volunteer hours and credit hours for degrees to work with elders and students (tutoring, technology education for elders, capturing their stories on video, mentorship opportunities, sharing a meal, linking the generations and breaking down barriers to age segregation)
• Explore Intergenerational Housing Models such as Bridge Meadows: Intergenerational living: Derenda Schubert, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and the executive director of Bridge Meadows. Bridge Meadows creates intergenerational communities where children, families and elders flourish. In these communities’ children from foster care have forever families, these families have the support of an entire community and elders live with meaning and purpose mentoring the children and supporting one another.
• Developing a Community Volunteer Elder Ambassador program (ie., youth/elder mentorship, community ambassadors who volunteer to work with elders on technology, resources, cleaning, yard work, community service for our elders, food prep, community garden visits, welfare checks, garden-based educational lessons improving health and educational outcomes for youth, incorporating a larger-scale community garden for youth/elders to collaborate and learn from one another including indigenous foods, preparation, etc.)

• Transitional housing models from independent care to adult foster care, retirement center, residential care facility or assisted living. Improving the quality of life, a thriving retirement community, which can also serve as an economic development opportunity for tribal members to own, lease or work for care facilities.
• Providing Elder care providers/managers & Palliative care while elders are still living independently before hospice care is needed.
• Hospice Care and facilities, certified staff, counselors and equipment when that level of care is needed.
• Social Services Advocate for elder care (ie., establishing wills, advanced directives, wishes, estate planning, individual family counseling, etc.

• Establish a Youth Recreational Center to improve the health & well-being of our youth in Grand Ronde. Build prevention efforts & access to mental health supports.
• Increase graduation rates – Need improved data from schools, MOU for release of info, partner with ODE (Oregon Dept. of Education), Release of Info forms for parents.
• Develop Healing Centered mentorship program opportunities (with elders/youth/peers) centered around the community garden & cultural activities
• Explore and create a Community Apprenticeship Opportunity program and partnerships, connecting youth to career opportunities and creating a pathway for youth that are not college bound. Partnering with trade schools, TERO, Education, Trade Schools and Community businesses).

• Resolving 1999 Amendment “Parent On the Roll” issue creating split families; not “bundling” issues, but rather address and resolve one-at-a-time
• Amend BIA requirement that members would only have to register for each Secretarial election one time.
• Create Tribal Member Ad Hoc committee for outreach efforts to educate non-engaged members on the importance of voting. (i.e, a table at Pow Wow to have educational material, SVF’s and other resources available for assistance to members who live out of the area/Q&A.

• Building community resilience through economic empowerment for individual entrepreneurs, such as creating small business loan programs, incentives for entrepreneurs and developing a Small Business Resource center.
• The “focus on the next 7 generations” by our visionaries is very important; however, also being for “this generation” is critical and serving the needs of the members in the moment is important. Not all investments will have a financial ROI; while it’s important to save for the future, it’s important to give people the hand up that they need to make ends meet. Sometimes the return on investment is investing in people and the outcome is peace of mind, living your best life, having joy. The Grand Ronde store is an example of a missed opportunity for a tribal family to own a small business in Grand Ronde and contribute to a thriving and vibrant community. It was once a goal to have tribal members return to Grand Ronde, for that to happen we need to have more opportunities for small business ventures.
• Exhibiting fiscal responsibility by utilizing federal & state dollars whenever possible and applying for grants. (IHS, BIA, HUD); fiduciary responsibilities for reporting to the members. (report showing the members the extent and breadth of those dollars).

If you would like to know more or would like to discuss issues that are important to you please send me an email at mcherry.co@gmail.com or let’s set up a phone call!