Woodlands Wisdom Project is a Confederation of the following institutions: College of Menominee Nation, Turtle Mountain Community College, Leech Lake Tribal College, Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College, White Earth Tribal and College and the University of Minnesota. This lead institution for this proposal is Community Leech Lake Tribal College, Cass Lake, Minnesota. Woodlands Wisdom seeks to address chronic health issues in Native American communities through culturally-responsive programs of teaching, research and community connections. The goal of Woodlands Wisdom Project is to create a regional community consciousness around how food and nutrition impacts community, family and individual health and well-being The overall purpose of this project is to increase the success rate of Native American students entering biomedical careers through post-secondary education preparation in science. Over a five-year period, the Woodlands Wisdom Confederation will achieve the following goals: 1) Develop and implement diabetes-based science curriculum using a Native American pedagogy for grades 7-12 in Tribal Schools in six reservations. 2) Organize and implement community-based Woodlands Wisdom youth chapters on six reservations that support diabetes-related science curriculum in a service learning model. 3) Develop and implement a career education program with a focus on biomedical careers. 4) Provide teacher training that supports a community-based, Native American approach to teaching science and health.
