Meet Tiana
Fort Berthold Medicine Wheels Youth Coordinator
“My name is Tiana DuBois. I am gender fluid, and my pronouns are her/she/they/them. I am 21 years old. I am currently pursuing my degree in Addiction Studies to become a licensed addictions counselor. I am an enrolled member of the MHA Nation. I come from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, located in North Dakota. We reside by Lake Sakakawea, as our original tribal homelands are now under the great lake, flooded by the building of the Garrison Dam. I am super excited to be a part of the Medicine Wheels Initiative because, as a former youth who struggled with substance use, I did not have many opportunities to witness healthy mentorship and leadership models nor access to spaces where creativity and expression were encouraged. I believe positive peer support, mentorship, and engagement in healthy activities will balance the body, mind, and mental health wellness amongst the youth in my community which essentially aids in substance abuse prevention! I am here to become the adult I needed when I was younger.”
Medicine Wheels: Fort Berthold Reservation
General description
Phase 2 of Medicine Wheels launched in the Spring of 2022 at the New Town North Dakota Skate Park on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in New Town, North Dakota. The monthly summer skate meet-ups included food, music, and a platform for the youth to speak and listen to positive sober role models from partner the North Segments The Door Resource & Recovery Lodge, an addictions resource center that provides peer support and resources for youth struggling with substance abuse that model recovery and support in mental health for our youth.
Medicine Wheels Fort Berthold kicked off on May 26, 2022 as Tiana gathered Native youth ages 10-18 at the Fort Berthold Reservation Skatepark to connect to their bodies and minds and the land we love and respect. 10 were expected - 51 showed up! Seeding Sovereignty provided boards and safety gear in a donation to those who did not have any. Even the kids who didn’t skate came! A once-vacant skatepark was soon booming as youth skated by. Echoing with laughter and questions on how to put their safety gear on and the excitement yet nervousness kids had when they jumped on a board for their first time.The youngest was 9 years old! Pizza, water was provided and 10 kids received skateboards and safety gear to keep!
Some parents had traveled over 40 miles for their kids to attend. It was beautiful to see some of the kids who had never skated before to build up their confidence and jump on a board and realize that this was something exciting and thrilling to do. The youth had asked if this was something we could do every day! Also, when the next event was. The first event charged my motivational battery and really reminded me that my efforts do matter because creating space spaces for the youth in my community is essentially positive mental health empowerment and substance abuse prevention!”
10 kids received skateboards and safety gear to keep! We even donated 10 boards and safety gear to the Lodge!
“June 23rd, 2022, was Seeding Sovereignty Medicine Wheels' second skate meet-up on the Fort Berthold Indian reservation in New Town, North Dakota. Averaging about 20 kids for our second meet-up! As June is pride month, it was essential for me as the initiative coordinator to honor this month and for our LGBTQ2SIA+ relatives to feel safe and honored at every event. Our reservation is in a red state that is not so kind to queer people, with minimal spaces where they are protected and accepted, which is why Medicine Wheels will always provide that safe space. The flyer included that Medicine Wheels was a safe place for our LGBTQ2SIA+ relatives to come, and a few of the youth painted over harmful language that was graffitied around the park covered over with a rainbow hearts. The second meet-up highlighted youth leadership, the expression of art, dance, and music, and the building of a safe and individualistic youth community!
The boys and girls club from Mandaree, 38 miles away, came up, and they led a dance battle with the kids, some were shy at first, but the more kids that joined in, they felt comfortable dancing and soon were laughing. A few of the boys practiced doing Ollies while an older youth was leading them, as it was a prime example of the beauty in sharing and the muscle memory needed to perfect a skating skill! There was also a gear distribution for the youth that came to the event with no boards or safety gear, as six skateboards, helmets, and essential padding were donated for the youth to keep and use for our next event! I also got to help some who were first-time skaters find their balance on a board and the differences between a longboard and a skateboard, who were skating on their own by the end of the event. Lunch was served catered by Pizza Pie on the Fly, our local pizza place, with no single slice left after the event.
Youth are exploring alternatives this summer that help prevent isolation and boredom, leading factors of substance abuse. Bringing kids into their element where they can create, lead and explore healthily is vital in native youth support and mental health and substance abuse prevention. Medicine Wheels is rolling full force to the goals it strives to meet this summer!”
“It is clear that mental health support and substance abuse prevention for young people starts with a safe community where empowering and interactive engagement can take place. Having an inclusive and accepting environment for Native LGBTQIASP+ youth is the foundation Medicine Wheels skate on. Medicine Wheels is for young people learning about themselves, those exploring their identities, and those struggling with substance abuse. It is to give our differences and uniqueness power and learn how to love, support, and nourish not only ourselves but one another.”
