Carina Miller, Senior at Madras High School and Tribe Member:

Excerpt of “In My Opinion” article, published in The Oregonian, August 8, 2004

"I'm 16 and I've lived on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon since I was born. You learn soon enough that chances are limited on the reservation. Kids die here at a rate three times that of the rest of the state. I've seen so many of my friends drop out of school, have babies or even die that it's all left me feeling sad and hopeless. For the longest time, I was so good at pretending everything was OK. Some nights, I'd sit in my room and think of a better place. I needed to be somewhere where a girl wouldn't get shot in the head over a can of pop. I yearned for a place where a boy wouldn't get so drunk he'd pass out in the snow behind my house and freeze to death. I wanted to be in a place where everyone had a chance to make it.  The problems start at a pretty young age. Drugs and alcohol are just what everyone does. As a child, I remember visiting relatives and seeing some of them use methamphetamine. They asked me if I wanted to try, and when I said no I became an outcast. My father is a perfect example…. As a little kid, I used to look up to my dad so much. Now, at 54, he has no job, he's almost blind and nearly deaf. Diabetes has ripped his body. He still drinks because he says he wants to die happy. When I hear this, it cuts my heart wide open.  What would help the most is for more adults, both on the reservation and off, to step up and become real role models. Provide a path for us to follow so we don't get trapped in the cycle that's become so familiar…"

At EXYP, we try to make a difference… One Native American child at a time.