Mescalero Prevention Program Tribal Youth Project

The Justice Department's grant-making components have created a streamlined approach for federally recognized Tribes, Tribal consortia, Alaska Native villages and corporations, as well as authorized tribal designees to apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 funding opportunities. The Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) serves as a single solicitation for existing tribal government-specific grant programs administered by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The CTAS solicitation is designed to assist tribes with addressing crime and public safety issues in a comprehensive manner. The CTAS grant-application process was inspired by and developed after consultation with tribal leaders, including sessions at the Justice Department's Tribal Nations Listening Session in 2009, and has been updated based on continued tribal consultations and listening sessions. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides awards under CTAS Purpose Area 9--Tribal Youth Program (TYP) to federally recognized tribes to develop and implement programs that support and enhance Tribal efforts to prevent and control juvenile delinquency and strengthen juvenile justice systems for American Indian/Alaska Native youth.

The Mescalero Prevention Program (MPP) Tribal Youth Project (TYP) will target the underlying variables that affect problem behaviors and alcohol and substance abuse by providing at-risk youth with skills to reduce stress, reduce truancy, address mental health problems, depression, bad decision making, and other behavioral problems that can lead to risky behaviors. The MPP plans to offer two evidence-based prevention models and practices that have been developed for Native Americans and shown to be effective. Together, the models will focus and build on their culture, traditions, and language as strength-based practices that promote healthy living. These models include Project Venture and Apache language and cultural immersion. The MPP staff are excellent role models connected to their Apache traditions, and they will work with youth through the Project Venture program to plan and implement experiential service learning projects. Some of these projects will link youth to Elders who retain and can pass on their cultural and linguistic traditions to the at-risk youth. Project Venture includes the integration of the youth’s Native language and culture and is a place and culture based model that has been proven to be effective in developing youth leadership, communication, problem solving, and stress management skills through experiential learning activities. The MPP also will provide youth with immersion in Apache language and culture, encourage service learning activities that will build upon the Mescalero culture, and provide the youth with positive role models who are actively involved in Apache traditions.

The objectives of the Tribal Youth Project are to: 1) decrease the number of Mescalero youth who use drugs and alcohol before the age of 13 by 20 percent, 2) decrease current 30 day drug and alcohol use for middle and high school students involved in TYP evidence based prevention programs by 10% by September 2020, and 3) increase positive leadership and life skills by 50% for target Mescalero youth from baseline.
(CA/NCF)