Little Earth of United Tribes

We had a language feast to introduce the language program to the community, attendees were able to learn about the program and ask questions. There are 20 youth enrolled into the Ojibwe language program, there were 380 possible classes that could have been attended by the 20 enrollees, out of those 380 possible classes, 232 were attended by the 20 youth which is an attendance rate of 61%. The youth in the program are familiar the Little Earth Youth Development Center and its staff, so this program is an easy transition for them. Youth have gained knowledge of the importance for language revitalization. It has created a desire to learn the language and to become informed of traditions, culture, and language. The youth who are in the Ojibwe language program participate in every activity and go above and beyond to learn and retain the amount of language that is required in the program. Most of the youth have previously known one another and some are related, but the program has given the youth the opportunity to bond and play an active role in what it means to be a community and work together as a community. The youth have shown a great deal of accountabilty, even when there might not be much support in their home life. The youth will go out of their way to let staff know if they cannot make it to class and they show up on time for class. The language program is set up so these youth will gain natural leadership experience and they will stand out in the community as the ones who are keeping the language alive. We have translated two Ojibwe Language Immersion Scenarios with Ramona Manuel, an elder from Ponemah, MN. The youth have tested on pronunciation fo rthe first two scenarios. The average class score for immersion scenario one (It's Morning Time) was 78% and for immersions scenario two (In the Afternoon) was 75%. These test scores are solely based off pronunciation. Specifically through the creation of a multimedia classroom, we have integrated the use of language into normal activities focusing on media and computer development skills. Cultural programming including history, Native American sociology, and specific roundtable discussions on ceremony have benefitted from the intoduction of language. In addition, Vice President Jay Bad Heart Bull displayed the wisdom of enlisting the traditional Little Earth Women's Group in language activities by providing curriculum focusing on the Women's Group cooking and community activities. This is a significant milestone in blending traditional social programming with language education.