Omaha Nation Community Response Team
Medicine Wheel Project
The Medicine Wheel Project is designed to assist at risk youth in making positive choices and developing self esteem by utilizing Omaha traditions pertaining caring for horses. Medicine Wheel activities are built upon strong traditional Omaha values and teachings and seeks to delay onset of drug and alcohol experimentation and decrease the likelihood of related symptoms of youth suicides. The horse has been central to Omaha cultural identity, values, and spirituality for nearly 300 years. This traditional bond between horses, and humans is the perfect medium for communicating cultural values and beliefs regarding honor, courage, dignity, protecting others, empathy unselfishness, sharing and traditional spirituality to early adolescents, all important protective factors in prevention.
Goal: The goal of this innovative approach is to engage early adolescents in a pro-social, pro-cultural and activity-oriented prevention program that teaches interpersonal skills, refusal skills, empathy, cultural identity, and cultural values. The concept of a positive, activity-oriented ongoing prevention program is aimed at competing with early substance abuse and associated gang activity on the reservation.
Objectives:
1.) Providing an equine-assisted alcohol and drug prevention program for a minimum of 100 Omaha youth based on the Omaha horse culture;
2.) Providing a comprehensive weekly prevention program based on Omaha culture through a curriculum and activities based on a combination of traditional Omaha cultural values and ceremonies and equine teachings.