The Muscogee Nation

Tag: Youth Council

  • Muscogee (Creek) Nation Youth Council awarded Youth Council of the Year

    For Immediate Release

     

    July 27, 2016

     

     

    Muscogee (Creek) Nation Youth Council awarded Youth Council of the Year

     

     

    The United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (Unity), which is an organization dedicated to augmenting social and mental development to contribute to a stronger Indian Country, named the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Youth Council as Youth Council of the Year July 25 during the 2016 National Unity Conference 40th Anniversary Gala held in Oklahoma City, Okla.

     

    The MCN Youth Council was established in March 2015 and since that time has hosted different community and awareness events.

     

    Muscogee (Creek) Nation Youth Services Program Director Nancy Mason said, “We started about March of last year, of 2015 planning our youth council, bringing young people together and in just that short time they did service learning projects. They developed their youth council, their bylaws, elected officers and they haven’t stopped since that time.”

     

    One of the projects planned and completed by the Youth Council was the Mvskoke March, a walk from Okmulgee to Oklahoma City to bring awareness to teen dating violence.

     

    Youth Council member Tafv Sanders said the Youth Council means a lot to him.

     

    “They are like my second family,” Sanders said.

     

    MCN Youth Council Sergeant at Arms Tyler Hill felt delighted about the award.

     

    “It feels exciting, actually first year coming to Unity as a group of youth council and actually winning as a unit,” Hill said.

     

    CONTACT:

    Geebon Gouge

    918-732-7617

    ggouge@muscogeenation.com

  • The Mvskoke March 2016

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    July 1, 2016

     

    The Mvskoke March 2016

     

    Okmulgee, Okla.-The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is pleased to announce the Mvskoke March 2016.  The Mvskoke March is a youth led initiative focused on bringing awareness to Teen Dating Violence.  The Mvskoke March will be held July 18-21, 2016.  The event will kick off at 12:00 pm at the historic Muscogee (Creek) Nation Council House on July 18th, 2016 and end 110 miles later at the Oklahoma State Capitol at 12:00 pm where a Teen Dating Violence awareness rally will be held. According to Love is Respect:

    • Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.
    • One in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.
    • One in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.

    Additionally, the walkers will be honoring the 40th Anniversary of the United National Indian and Tribal Youth (UNITY) organization.   UNITY is a national network organization promoting personal development, citizenship, and leadership among Native American youth. It was created in Oklahoma by J.R. Cook who is a member of the Cherokee Nation. UNITY is holding their annual conference in Oklahoma City from July 22-26th. Many of the walk participants are members of the Mvskoke Nation Youth Council (MNYC) who will be travelling to the UNITY Conference. The MNYC is a UNITY affiliate, and is composed of Mvskoke youth ages 12-24.  The mission of the MNYC is to empower Mvskoke youth by listening and taking action, enhance our voice by promoting positive changes and informed decisions, and affect all generations and sustain the Mvskoke way of life.

     

    The walk is being coordinated by Jay Fife who is the 2nd Speaker of the MNYC. Jay had an opportunity to participate in the Longest Walk 5, which is a Native American rescue mission to heal America from the effects of drugs, violence, suicide, self-harm, and harm to the Earth. Afterwards, Jay was inspired to organize the Mvskoke March. Jay commented “We will call attention and seek guidance on domestic violence and teen dating violence which is causing destruction within The Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and as well as the state of Oklahoma.”

     

    The walkers will travel through the towns of: Okmulgee, Okemah, Castle, Boley, Paden, Prague, Meeker, Harrah, Choctaw, and finally enter the OKC Metro Area. They will be stopping and camping at three of these destinations along the way. For more information or to register for the walk you can go to www.mvskokemarch2016.weebly.com or the Mvskoke March 2016 Facebook page. Donations of food, water, and other supplies are being accepted. If you are interested in donating, contact the Mvskoke Nation Youth Services program at (918) 549-2557.