Dillingham Scouts craft necklaces for abuse summit

DEANNA HARDIN

January 17, 2008 at 8:54AM AKST

For The Bristol BayTimes

Dillingham Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts participated in a project to craft necklaces for the summit goers of the Tribal Law and Policy Institute's "Pathway to Hope: Alaska Native Summit on Child Sexual Abuse."

The necklace project in Dillingham was organized by the Nitaput Child Advocacy Center. Along with each necklace, the children drafted a handwritten note of appreciation for the work the providers do with children. Dillingham children created more than 80 necklaces for the event.

During the summit's closing ceremony, each attendee was given one of the children's finished necklaces and a note of appreciation as a symbol reminding them of their commitment to protecting children.

The summit took place Jan. 9 in Anchorage and was the first statewide gathering aimed at ending silence about child sexual abuse in Alaska Native communities.

The summit offered Alaska residents an opportunity to share traditional and contemporary paths for healing from trauma, and to strengthen collaboration in the state to provide greater support for native child victims.

Deanna Hardin is a case manager at the Nitaput Child Advocacy Center.