Upcoming STAR Center Webinar:

Title: Native American Health and Healing Approaches

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Time: 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET

Presenters:

Shirley Montoya and Anthony Lee, Healing Circles Wellness Center in Shiprock, New Mexico; Rudy Soto, National Council on Urban Indian Health.

Description:

Understanding and embracing indigenous healing approaches is an important way to move forward in addressing healthcare inequalities, especially in Native communities. In this STAR Center webinar, our presenters will share examples of self-care and healing approaches that are used in urban, rural and frontier communities, describe the history, foundations, values and standards inherent in these approaches as well as offer recommendations for how these approaches may be better engaged by Native people in states, territories and tribal governments across the country. Join us for another provocative and inspiring webinar presentation on approaches to eliminating the health and mental health disparities in our communities.

Speaker Bios:

Rev. Shirley Montoya, Project Manager, Healing Circle Wellness Center in Shiprock, NM.

The Reverend Shirley Montoya was born and raised in the valley of Shiprock, New Mexico and graduated Cum Laude with a Sociology/Human Services degree and earned her Master of Divinity Degree from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. As an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church of the Desert Southwest Annual Conference, she served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Cook College & Theological School in Tempe, Arizona, Director of the Northern Navajo United Methodist Ministry in Kayenta, Arizona, Associate Pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona and Senior Pastor at the United Methodist Church in Patagonia, Arizona.

She is currently the Project Manager for the Healing Circle Wellness Center in Shiprock, NM. The Community Wellness Center provide resources to Relatives (consumers) seeking sobriety and recovery support through the teachings of the Dine' Way of life. Rev. Montoya also serves as Chairperson of the Four Corners Native American Ministry Board, member of the Shiprock Historical Society and To'nihaiyilya: Growing Our Dreams, Inc., Restoring & Celebrating Family Wellness Committeeand the Dine' Community Advocacy Alliance. Rev. Montoya's hope for the Dine' Nation is that all families are safe, healthy, and prosperous and live out the Dine' way of life, simply, "To Walk in Beauty".

Anthony Lee, Traditional and Culture Instructor, Healing Circle Wellness Center

Anthony has been teaching and sharing oral history of the Dineh (Navajo) people, as well as The Athabaskin tribes, since 1999. He has also been with the Healing Circle Wellness Center now for 5 years as a Traditional and Culture Instructor. Most of the teachings are at "hard core" level of Tradition: How 'wellness' is obtained through tradition.

Anthony is an apprenticed story keeper through the Late Jon Dis Chilli (Kii ya a nii), medicine man and mentor. He is also an advocate for The Preservation of The Historical Dinetah Ancient areas and a member of the The Navajo Historical Society.

Rudy Soto (Shoshone-Bannock), Policy Analyst for the National Council of Urban Indian Health

Rudy Soto (Shoshone-Bannock) is a Policy Analyst for the National Council of Urban Indian Health. While serving on Capitol Hill as the Hatfield Fellow with the Office of Congressman Schrader, Rudy gained insight about policy and advocacy through attending briefings, hearings, and participating in legislative meetings with the representative. As a youth engagement specialist at the National Indian Child Welfare Association he worked with urban Indian and reservation based communities around the country. As a project assistant for a suicide prevention grant at the Native American Rehabilitation Association in Portland, he helped facilitate community meetings and engaged in dialogue and leadership development with community youth. In Washington DC, as part of the Native American Political Leadership Program, Rudy received training in community organizing, which educated him on effective ways to reach out through modern technologies. He is passionate about improve the health and well being of Indian country and serves in the Army National Guard on the side.