US Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Road to Montana to Hold Hearing on Native Youth

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Native Youth

POPLAR, MONTANA - The US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is going into Indian Country on Tuesday with a hearing called, "Empowering Youth to Reclaim their Future." The location for the hearing is the Poplar High School in Poplar, Montana.

Suicide among Native youth is sure to be a main topic of the hearing.

Two year ago, five American Indian youth, who attended Poplar Middle School committed suicide. Of the 140 enrolled students in the school, 25 suicides were attempted.

Poplar is on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, which is home to the Fort Peck and Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, commonly known as the Fort Peck Tribes.

TIME:     Tuesday, August 9

WHEN:    1:30 pm edt

WHERE:   Poplar High School, 400 Avenue West, Poplar, Montana

Witnesses:

The Honorable Rusty Stafne, Chairman, Fort Peck Tribes, Poplar, Montana

Ms. Deborah Halliday, Policy Advisor, Community Learning Partnerships, Montana Office of Public Instruction, Helena, Montana

Mr. Richard Manning, Research Associate, National Native Children’s Trauma Center at the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana

Miss Fanci Jackson, Fort Peck Youth Council member, Fort Peck Tribes, Poplar, Montana

Dr. Rose Weahkee, Director, Division of Behavioral Health Services, US Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland

Mr. Edward F. Parisan, Billings Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, US Department of Interior, Billings, Montana

Dr. Richard Mckeon, Lead Public Health Advisor, Suicide Prevention Team, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, US Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland

posted August 8, 2011 6:00 am edt