Today, a vast majority of American Indian and Alaska Native children live in communities with alarmingly high rates of poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, and victimization. Our children suffer from disproportionately high rates of abuse and neglect, and most of them aren’t receiving any treatment for those issues. They experience post-traumatic stress disorder at roughly the same rate as service members returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. And they’re twice as likely as any other race to die before the age of 24. We must stop the generational cycle of hopelessness that has left many of our children without hope or belief in themselves, or their futures. 

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Sitting Bull said: 

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"Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children."

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The Indigenous Institute has done just this in the development of our life-changing children's program, MACOOA™. Which is being specifically designed to help our children stop the downward spiral of hopelessness, and replace it with hope, belief, and the promise of a better tomorrow.  

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MACOOA™ is an animated youth educational program specifically designed to take education based on the universal concepts of social and cognitive science to Indigenous youth throughout North and South America. This evidence based education has shown to increase HOPE and ESTEEM in its participants by 15% and FUTURE ORIENTED THINKING by 16%.

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MACOOA™ will introduce this education in a purposeful, culturally relevant, and traditional way. The programs main character Macooa, along with his sister Lyla, will share native stories of wisdom that were told to them by their grandfather while introducing terms and concepts that will help our youth learn how their minds work, and help build the necessary esteem and belief in themselves that is essential in achieving their full-potential. These stories will be shared in a way that will also educate in native ways of living, including culture, tradition and language.

 

The target audience for MACOOA™ is K-3 (Kindergarten through the third grade.)

 

The MACOOA™ EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM components:

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• The program will have an animated video that consists of 15 units. Each unit will focus on different concepts of our education and shared through a native story of culture and wisdom.

• The program will have a Learning Manual for each child that will help enhance the video, and allow them to follow along in an interactive setting in the classroom and at home.

• The program will have a Parents Manual that will be given to each parent so that they can reinforce the education at home with their children, while using the same terms and concepts learned throughout the program.

• The program will have an online presence and mobile apps that will help the student sustain what they have learned, that will encourage and support them in their efforts of learning and personal growth.

 

The MACOOA™ program is an essential component in our efforts of Rekindling Hope in our youth. This program will help our children look at themselves, their lives, their potential and their future in a more positive way, while enhancing their interest in learning. Enabling them to be more successful competing in the classrooms and in their lives. MACOOA™ will help our youth better understand themselves and the world around them, to aspire for more than what is believed possible, to dream of a better tomorrow and have the tools to make it so. MACOOA™ will instill these beliefs and potential in our youth so that they can stop the downward spiral of hopelessness in their lives before it even begins. Forever changing their lives and the lives of Indigenous People everywhere.  

 

Please visit the MACOOA™ FACEBOOK PAGE