Our Future Minds:

Anxiety and How it Affects Younger Children

Noelle Dawn Cerno

Laguna Pueblo Acoma Pueblo

Fig 1. Partnership With Native Americans. (2024, April 30). New Mexico: Laguna - PWNA.

Laguna Pueblo

Cerno, Noelle "Senior Sunday" November 30.2025

Fig 2. Pueblo Of Acoma | Welcome to the official Pueblo of Acoma website!

Acoma Pueblo

Identity

Cerno, Noelle "Achohal Abuse Awareness" 5 September, 2025

"Sharing One's Skin: The Okanagan Community"

Jeannette Armstrong

Janette is Okanagan and speaks traditionally towards her community and her identity. She speaks towards the meaning of Okanagan, what it is, and it's meaning. She talks about being within the community like bring born into one, and everyone connecting as one. There is a connection within Okanagan and the earth, since okanagan holds much meaning. I loved how Personal it was within the Okanagan community. I felt I could relate or hold that same feeling towards my own home. Were all born into a community that if something affects one person, it affects all of us. The connection within the earth is another part I felt connected with since we all hold a place within nature as our creator, created this place for all of us to take care of it, so it can then protect us.

Armstrong, Jeannette. "Sharing One Skin: Okanagan Community." The Case Against the Global Economy: And for a Turn Toward the local, edited by Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith, Sierra Club books, 1996, pp. 460-470.

"How Place names Impact the Way We See Landscape"

Toastie

This was an article towards names having meaning. They hold meaning within stories they have, which is how they could get there names. But, we notice most have colonized names, but if we re-name or give it it's ancestral name we reconnect with the place. We know that within the name changes, the story the place holds within the landscape, it will forever be the same. I personally liked this article because it is true that names hold a lot of meaning, specifically within Indigenous communities. Names hold the truth within communities, and stories from our past. We all can connect to this article one way or another whether it's protecting our lands and giving it back it's ancestral name, treating it with respect, or what having an ancestral name symbolizes within ourselves.

Oaster B. 'Toastie'. "How place names impact the way we see landscape." High Country News, 24 Jan. 2024

Cerno, Noelle "Sunset" 6 October , 2025

Cerno, Noelle "SFIS" 1 May, 5 2026

"And Then I Went To School: Memories of a Pueblo Childhood"

Joe Suina

Joe Suina is from Cochiti Pueblo who talks about his home area and with going to school. He goes descriptive on his living style in how being with his grandma in his Pueblo home. In is home he feels comfortable and he spoke on how it all changed when he went to a non-native boarding school. He faced a lot of challenges and faced feeling ashamed of his home, but came back to remembering that his Pueblo will always be a part of him. This was a good article all together. I loved the depth of him and how his home made him feel, the traditional things we have and the beauty it holds in our connection to it. The challenges kids face who went to schools that made them feel ashamed of his heart breaking and no child should ever feel nor go through that pain. Suina persevered through the pain and remembered the true meaning within his community and pushed through the white man's way with out letting his culture go.

Suina, Joe. "And then I went to School." Rethinking schools, vol. 5, no. 4, Summer 1991, https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/and-then-i-went-to-school. Accessed 10. Sept. 2025

History

European Colonization of Americas Killed so Many It Cooled Earth’s Climate | BUALA, n.d.

The Indian Removal Act:

The Indian Removal Act opened land that Indigenous peoples had previously called home to White settlement and the expansion of slavery, further codifying injustices at the federal level that had long been underway. The U.S government used treaties as means to displace Indians from their tribal lands, a mechanism that was a greater benefit for the U.S since it strengthened with the Removal Act in 1830. The Government violated both treaties and supreme court rulings to create the action towards the spread of European Americans westward across the continent. General Andrew Jackson during that time led an expedition “The Battle of Horse Shoe Bend” that forced the Creek Indians a treaty that they surrendered to the United States more than twenty-million acres of their traditional land, about one-half to Alabama and one-fifth to Georgia.

Later on, President Jackson decided to build a systematic approach to Indian removal on the basis of the legal precedents. To achieve his plan, he had to encourage Congress to adopt the Removal Act of 1830. It was the Act where the President could grant land west of the Mississippi River to Indian Tribes that agreed to give up their homelands. Aligning with this goal, the law would allow Indians financial and material assistance to travel to their new locations and begin new lives with guaranteed protection on their new property under the United States Government forever. Even though Jackson's government succeeded, the Cherokee Nation resisted and challenged the Georgia law that restricted their freedoms on tribal lands.

US Indian Boarding School History – NABS. (n.d.). https://boardingschoolhealing.org/us-indian-boarding-school-history/

US Indian Boarding School History:

There were more than 526 government-funded, and often church-run, Indian Boarding schools across the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries. Indian children were forcibly abducted by government agents, sent to schools hundreds of miles away, and beaten, starved, or otherwise abused when they spoke their Native languages. The stated purpose of this policy was to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.”. Between 1869 and the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Native American children were removed from their homes and families and placed in boarding schools operated by the federal government and the churches.Though we don’t know how many children were taken in total, by 1900 there were 20,000 children in Indian boarding schools, and by 1925 that number had more than tripled. The U.S. Native children that were voluntarily or forcibly removed from their homes, families, and communities during this time were taken to schools far away where they were punished for speaking their Native language, banned from acting in any way that might be seen to represent traditional or cultural practices, stripped of traditional clothing, hair and personal belongings and behaviors reflective of their native culture. They suffered physical, sexual, cultural and spiritual abuse and neglect, and experienced treatment that in many cases constituted torture for speaking their Native languages. Many children never returned home and their fates have yet to be accounted for by the U.S. government.

Current Issue

Vallo, Frances " My Dya'ow" November 24. 2015

Native American Children’s Health and Well-Being.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation

In this article it talks about American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) families and how they demonstrate profound resilience through cultural values centered on family, elder respect, and communal responsibility. It talked about how some causes could be from historical trauma and discriminatory U.S. policies—such as the forced removal of children prior to the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act—continue to cause health and economic disparities, current data indicates significant positive momentum. Today, AI/AN communities outpace national averages in youth mentorship, alongside rising family incomes and declining rates of teen births and juvenile detention.

Why Are Kids Struggling with Anxiety More than Ever?:

Jessica Colarossi

In this article it talked about children who have anxiety, and how going to school can feel like a nightmare. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States for adults. And since the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety started to interfere with daily life, and has risen in the younger generation, making everyday activities like going to school and socializing difficult and more stressful. There are a lot of different factors that contribute to that. Like when COVID pandemic happened and when kids weren’t in school. They weren’t facing things that might be challenging for them under normal circumstances. When kids returned back to school, some kids missed out on key opportunities to practice facing social challenges. The kids that were in their preschool years during the COVID lockdown, they would have started practicing talking with teachers and other kids, and they have really struggled due to missing out on that time. Another element is screen time, during that same period of COVID, daylong screen use became normalized. In the article she said she had heard a lot of parents saying their child is completely addicted to their phone or tablet, and that it’s really hard to get them to do other things.

Colarossi, J. (2024, September 5). Why Are Kids Struggling with Anxiety More than Ever? Boston University. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2024/why-are-kids-struggling-with-anxiety-more-than-ever/

Cerno, Noelle "Gu'ni'nii Kids" 14 Feburary, 2015

Global Connections

(Canada’s Mental Health Crisis: Research Reveals Disproportionate Effect on Youth and Indigenous and Racialized Communities, n.d.)

Canada Mental Health Crisis

Paul Logothetis

The article focuses on Canada's growing mental health crisis, emphasizing the unequal burden faced by different segments of the population. Research findings showed that youth and Indigenous and racialized communities are experiencing the most severe impact of the crisis, It's needed to target interventions and increase support to address the unique challenges faced by vulnerable groups aiming to mitigate the disproportionate effects of mental health.

Canada’s mental health crisis: Research reveals disproportionate effect on youth and Indigenous and racialized communities. (n.d.). Faculty of Social Sciences. https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-social-sciences/news-all/canadas-mental-health-crisis-research-reveals-disproportionate-effect-youth-indigenous

Depression and Anxiety Rise Among Chinese Teens during Coronavirus Pandemic

Jill Barshay

This article discusses the rise of depression and anxiety among Chinese teenagers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study found that females, highschool seniors and low-income students were most at risk. The research involved an online survey of over 8,000 high school students in China, using questionnaires to diagnose depression and anxiety.

Checking your browser - reCAPTCHA. (n.d.). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7921611/

Cerno, Noelle "Art Wall" 9 April, 2026

(“Italy: Students Included in Covid-19 Education Plans,” 2022)

Critical Issues in Psychological Services Within Italian Schools:

Simona,Grilli

This article is a comprehensive literature review that examines the role of school psychologists in the Italian educational system. It emphasizes their importance in promoting mental health and well-being among students and staff. The review synthesizes existing research, focusing on studies published between 2018 and 2025, using databases like Scopus, and Pubmed. The study aimed to explore the integration and effectiveness of psychological services in Italian Schools

Personal Connection

My connection within my topic is that mental health is truly important and can be overlooked, especially with the younger community. I hold a personal understanding of overcoming a challenge such as having anxiety and not understanding it. Anxiety is an issue that no one should ever have to endure, and for those that have to, should be able to understand what it is. I want to educate those who may not have a complete understanding of it. Anxiety is sometimes misinterpreted, and bypassed by many people. Anxiety to people may not seem like a big issue or important topic, but it’s not until you or your loved one struggles with it in their daily life. I want to help build my community up with better education towards mental health, especially for our younger kids that we sometimes don’t prioritize because we expect them to not feel those “adult feelings”. We should be educating our kids instead of making them feel like they’re too young to understand when they're not.

Action Plan

MVI_5067.MP4

Fall Semester: Action Plan

"Break Your Pain"

In my fall semester, I hosted my action plan called “breaking your pain” which was an event I had done on November 24, 2025 in my mentor Dwayne Joe’s Classroom. I had 10 participants, including a staff member who I had to do a simple task. I first gave a short 5 minute presentation about who I am, what my topic is, and explained why I chose to plan my action plan the way I did. We gave each participant a glass plate with a permanent marker, and they wrote what made them anxious in the past week, month, year, or what they felt was holding them back for a while. I gave them about 15-20 minutes to write about their personal pain, and told them we would place their plates into zip lock bags for safety with the glass, and they had to break their plates. Breaking their plates symbolizes letting go of what was once hurting you, and beginning your time of healing without the bearing weight holding you down. “Breaking your Pain” is a great way for those who may not have wanted to talk to anybody, and release their anger and pain.

I received lots of great feedback from 2 individuals, Matthew Riley and Staff member Karen Ansera. Matthew had expressed that it “Gave me a time to let go of that pain I was holding, and it can definitely benefit those who may not want to talk about it”. He liked how expressive and yet personal it is to begin that journey for yourself. Karen Ansera had also expressed it was a great way for students to let go of their pain, and it benefited her to let go of stress she had from work, and the things she had to complete.

Spring Semester: Action Plan

"Art for thr Heart"

In my spring semester, I conducted another Action plan “Art for the Heart” in a room next door to my mentor's classroom, Dwayne Joe's Classroom. I had twelve participants, which included myself. I did a short 5 minute presentation introducing myself, what my topic is, why I chose this topic, and what I was going to have them do. They each had a blank canvas, with a line I had drawn beforehand that connected all the canvases together. They didn’t know until the end, and they didn’t know the full purpose until the end. I told them they could paint whatever their heart desired, and to write one positive/encouraging word towards anxiety. I gave them a whole 30 mins to eat, socialize and paint away with each other.

Towards the end, I told them the reason there was a black line in their painting was because it connected all their paintings together like a puzzle, and the canvases were a representation of their mind. The paint is a representation of the color they bring to the places that were dark in their minds. Anxiety is viewed as a dark place with nowhere to go, but the truth is that we as individuals are the ones to bring light to that, which was the paint. This project was to show that no matter how different we are, which shows in their paintings, we are all connected one way or another, so we should be supporting each other not bringing each other down. It’s also a reminder that we have that choice in finding that way to receive help, and we can also help ourselves, because no one is alone in doing so.

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