High Rate of Suicide Casts Shadow Over Indian Country, Essay Example

The activity that had the greatest impact on me was the video “State of Despair: High rate of suicide casts shadow over Indian country.” This video explored the suicide epidemic in the Native American community. This shocked me a bit, because I never knew that suicide was such a big problem in these communities. The interviews in the video really struck me, especially the mother talking about her son who killed himself when she was in the house trying to call for help. These tragic stories really push the need for preventative steps. There is a glimmer of hope, however, in the later parts of the video, as it discusses how support groups can give Native American youth a sense of belonging that may help dispel some of their thoughts of suicide. Overall I thought this video did an amazing job of firstly showing the tragic effects of the suicide outbreak, and also listing a few ways of combating it.

I really appreciated watching the different videos about people struggling with addiction. I think these videos did a good job of showing the true negative effects of drug use, and how even once someone has overcome their addiction, they may relapse again. I feel videos like these are essential for spreading awareness about the struggles of addiction and recovery. They help dispel some of the negative connotations people may have about those who struggle with these issues, and they can also stand as a warning to youth who might otherwise consider giving into these harmful temptations. I enjoy learning from different forms of media, such as videos like these, because it allows me to see firsthand accounts of what these issues are like, while keeping things interesting. I liked that this course delved into multiple difficult issues that a lot of people do not usually like to talk about. Opening up the conversation about these hard-hitting topics really helped me to see them in a new light and to question my previous assumptions. I enjoyed the opportunity to watch the videos that showed and discussed first-hand accounts of difficult issues.

While I did learn a lot from the in-class discussions, I think I could have benefited from more hands-on activities. Paper writing is not exactly my strongest skill, so other project opportunities that could have given me a chance to show my knowledge could have been helpful. I think it could have been interesting to have the students do projects where we could have presented information to the class, that way we could learn by teaching. I would have liked a chance to present information and maybe even lead some discussion. I feel more involved projects that support active participation could have helped take this course to the next level, but overall I feel I learned a lot in this course and I think the topics we explored will stick with me for a long time. I am sure I will have an opportunity to share my new insight with others in the near future, as these topics are extremely prevalent in society today.