American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions

Since 1994, American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions have planted healing initiatives in the community that digs at the root of public concerns in San Antonio, beginning at the individual and familial levels. The branches of our programs spread innovative solutions, such as the Office of Community Engagement, Indigenous Arts, and Family Health and Wellness. Our philosophy of "La Cultura Cura," or Culture Heals, transformational healing is woven throughout the organization, which pulls together the threads of accountability, empowerment, and resilience by reminding us of the beauty our ancestors have wrapped us in for generations. Our Office of Community Engagement establishes culturally-rooted programming and relationships through inclusive, diverse, and equitable systems of societal justice, personal transformation, and traditional healing for all our communities who have suffered under systemic oppression. The restorative justice and healing initiative engages with schools and community coalitions to encourage more effective ways to approach restorative justice practices holistically. Civic engagement ensures that every tribal and urban Native voice is organized, empowered, and educated through building a foundation of wellness and advocacy; furthermore, nurturing our participants' knowledge of self to grow deeper bonds to family and community. Our Indigenous Arts department hosts dozens of dynamic, multidisciplinary arts events, such as film screenings, poetry readings, art exhibits, the Four Seasons Indian Market, educational events, community gatherings, and more. One of the most powerful examples from the arts council is when the AITSCM Dance Theater stages our beautiful creation stories and legends through traditional song and dance by uniting our communities through these prayers. We also engage in economic development through cultural arts and embrace our Texas Heritage Project, which is meant to reverse the systemic historical erasure of Indigenous and Chicano people. We do this by expanding the narrative of South-Central Texas, using research to illustrate our rich contributions to foster unity, thereby healing future generations. The Family Health and Wellness "San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign" works with families to deconstruct and process generational trauma and complex challenges. "Honoring Fatherhood. Raising Children. Healing Families." Our wrap-around case management with personal plans is developed on a case-by-case basis. Annually, we work with 2,400 participants, 1,300 mothers & 1,100 fathers, impacting 8,400 children. 84% are single-parent households, 37% don't have high school diplomas, and 28% are unemployed. We conduct various culturally-rooted approaches with the same objective of healing families, from Healing the Wounded Spirit. This powerful, transformative program integrates indigenous teachings for parents who need support to keep their families together. Moreover, the 7th Generation Birth Services is expanding its reach and healing strategies to provide free doula services to low-income families through our prenatal education, birthing, and postpartum support services. Our El Joven Noble (The Noble Young Man) is a Chicano/Latino Rites of Passage program based on the indigenous, culturally-rooted concept of El Hombre Noble (The Noble Man), which is a youth character-building program that employs a positive youth development model to increase protective factors and prevent risky health behaviors. Keeping the Culture Alive.