Wrap up

We had the pleasure of working with a lot of wonderful youth during our semester assigned to work with Dream of Wild Health.  We learned about what food sovereignty was and how DOWH taught the youth to not only follow but choose to follow this lifestyle as a healthy choice and as a way to respect their heritage. 

We learned that the youth are very willing and excited to take part in this organization and will accept, do, and exceed any challenge that we presented to them.  They were always willing to cooperate with us, even if it was a little embarrassing for them at times. 

We have great faith that these youth will accomplish a lot in their lives and will continue to choose healthy lifestyle choices long after leaving the organization.

Please look for and support these great kids at a local farmers markets this summer, all food is organically grown and includes numerous varieties of fresh produce to choose from.  Continue to check the DOWH for updated times and locations of the farmers market.   

Youth video in the making

The youth of Dream of Wild Health have decided to make a video based on the tale of the The Tortoise and the Hare mixed with the Native American tale of Great Race.  Although the tale of the Great Race differs from tribe to tribe the overall theme of the Great Race is a man racing a buffalo and the outcome would be who would eat who.

The youth have come to the decision that by incorporating the two stories they would show their heritage along with showing that eating healthy will win in the long term.

They will accomplish this by filming someone eating healthy foods and someone eating the quicker option of fast food.  At the end of the race the healthy choice will be the only one left to finish the race because the fast food will be too tired from all the “bad” stuff to finish. 

The youth are really excited about given the opportunity to make the choices and even what to bring in someone from the “outside” to eat the fast food because they do not want to eat it. 

Mother Earth Festival

Celebrate your Earth Day weekend perusing Saint Paul's west side at the Mother Earth Festival. Visit the family area to see live animals and obtain healthy snack ideas. Become mesmerized by the cultural entertainment and explore the variety of vendors in the green market. This festival inspires guests with new ideas to sustain our natural world and tips to obtain a healthy life style.

Sounds like the perfect environment for FOOD JUSTICE! You can bet DOWH youth leaders will be joining this event to educate the public about making the right choice around nutrition. Find them at the rotunda 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Make sure you eat some brain food for their Food Justice Jeopardy game!

Rooted in Community (2013 Conference)

Producing an entertaining YouTube video is fun - a great way to let out creative energy and in the case of Dream of Wild Health Youth Leaders, an opportunity to help the community wise up about food justice.  These Youth Leaders have decided to take the production to the next level by registering to showcase their video at the Rooted in Community's 15th annual youth leadership conference.
The conference will be held in Los Angeles this summer (July 2013) which is slamming excitement into the mix.

Rooted in Community focuses on empowering youth to create healthier communities. DOWH youth focus on 'food justice', but this national network also honors topics related to agriculture, food security, community gardening, and environmental justice.

This national conference is an opportunity for amazing leaders like the youth from Dream of Wild Health to collaborate with peers that are also challenging change. It is also a great way to recognize the impact these teams will contribute toward future generations. I noticed the conference also has room for an open mic night with dance party.

Get DOWH youth team to California by donating to Dream of Wild Health.

Face it, the dance party will suck without them.

Try Something Fresh This Summer - Saint Paul Farmer's Market

Selling fresh food at the Saint Paul Farmers market is one of the benefits of being part of the Dream of Wild Health youth leadership program. I asked Brianna, one of the youth leaders, why she enjoyed time at the farmer's market the most.

"It's fun hanging out there. I like talking with all the people."

Brianna also says that a lot of people use expense as an excuse to not eat healthy. She went on to point out that the Farmer's Market is very affordable and probably provides foods that are fresher than what would be paid for in a high end grocery store because they are grown locally.

For those of you that like to buy local - here is another great place to contribute.

The Saint Paul Farmer's market is a great excuse to spend a day in this historic city to explore fruits and vegetables from other cultures. Unlike a grocery store that only provides only the name of an exotic vegetable that caught your eye, the farmer's market provides face to face consultation as to what the produce is and how to use it. Brianna and other Dream of the Wild youth leaders have been educated about the produce they grow and how to prepare it and are more than willing to share that knowledge. 

Ultimately the youth team hopes to continue to support the inner city community by providing outreach around food justice. This location serves as an enjoyable platform for that community exchange.

If you plan on checking out the Saint Paul market this summer make sure to review FAQ about the market so you know what to expect....and get excited about ;)

DOWH introduction

Dream of Wild Health DOWH is a non-profit that promotes health in the Native community by expanding knowledge of, and access to, healthy indigenous foods and medicines.

Our group has had the pleasure, as outsiders, to be welcomed into the organization with a goal of understanding and helping promote food justice alongside the youth at DOWH. 

Food justice is communities exercising their right to grow, sell, and eat healthy food.  This food that they choose is also very nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate which is grown locally. In the case of DOWH it is grown and sold at a 10-acre farm in Hugo, MN. What is food justice?

At our meetings with the staff and youth we were given the opportunity to be welcomed as guests and try some of the different foods that they are trying to promote.  They insisted that as guests that we should be the first ones to eat, so as not to be rude we went first.  We were given a wide array of healthy, fresh foods, handmade by the nutritionist at DOWH.  It was amazing to see the youth not only share their knowledge of food justice but actually choose the healthy foods. 

Although we are still learning and getting to know the staff and youth at DOWH, we find that the staff leaves decision making to the youth.  The youth are talking about the fact that they choose food justice and to eat healthy and the decisions they make are their own.  The following video is an introduction into the youth at DOWH. 

Welcome to our Blog

Welcome to the blog page for MDST485's Dream Of Wild Health group. Our group consists of Matt, Kim, and Alex. We have a lot of experience with Non-Profits, Video Editing, and Social Media, so we're ready to impress.

Stay tuned for our posts!

Proposed Facebook Posts

A list of possible status posts for the DOWH youth leader Facebook page.

1. EAT. BRAIN. FOOD...so you are ready to join DOWH Youth Leaders in the rotunda for Food Justice Jeopardy at the Mother Earth Festival on April 20! Come and compete - 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

2. Meet the crew: 2013 Youth Leaders are helping the community wise up about food justice.

3. Squash, green peppers, lettuce, flowers, carrots, beets and more come check out the fresh food this summer. Visit DOWH for full details.

4. A reminder that all Cora’s Kids ages 8-12 along with all Garden Warriors, and internships are due by May 17^th please visit theDream of Wild Health for more information

5.  YouthSpeaks inspires video ideas for DOWH

6. Get to know us - Our dreams and mission - by watching this video. By understanding our culture horizon's broaden.