​Iska-Jir (Be Aware): preventing child abuse, exploitation, and trafficking

MCI’s Iska-Jir program educates New Mainer youth about human trafficking, exploitation and child abuse, including how to recognize the dangers and how to take action to prevent and stop them. Youth develop skills to safely navigate exploitative situations and learn about community resources that can help.

Is-Kaashi (Together): preventing substance use disorders

MCI’s Is-Kaashi program provides culturally-sensitive approaches to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors as a way to prevent substance use disorders, including opioid and tobacco use. Is-Kaashi includes tobacco use prevention and cessation strategies in partnership with Healthy Androscoggin.

Community workshops & mobile outreach for New Mainers

MCI offers workshops to bring linguistically and culturally appropriate education to the New Mainer communities of Lewiston-Auburn so they can learn skills to keep families well. We provide education for individuals and families and train community leaders, including religious centers, on how to offer resources in their own circles. We also bring our workshops to low-income housing complexes and partner organizations through our mobile outreach van.

Topics covered include:

• lead poisoning prevention (in partnership with Healthy Androscoggin and the City of Lewiston)
• indoor air quality education, including mold/mildew prevention
• financial literacy (in partnership with Maine Community Credit Union)
• gun violence (in partnership with the Lewiston Police Department)
• suicide prevention
• COVID-19 and vaccine education and clinics (in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services)Iska-Jir (Be Aware): Preventing child abuse, exploitation, and trafficking