Osage Nation Tribal Youth Program

Part of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative, a joint initiative of DOJ and the U.S. Department of the Interior to improve law enforcement and the administration of criminal and juvenile justice in Indian country, OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program (TYP) supports and enhances tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and strengthen the juvenile justice system for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth. This program is authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended and the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2009, Pub. L. 111-8.

The service area for this project is Osage County in Oklahoma. It is also home to the Osage Nation, a Federally Recognized Indian Nation, whose territorial boundaries are contiguous with Osage County. The BIA American Indian Population and Labor Force shows Osage tribal enrollment at 19,929. The Osage Tribal Youth Program will focus on providing alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs, including drug and/or alcohol education, drug testing, and screening to Indian youth, 11 to 17 years of age. According to youth statistics from Osage Nation CDIB department and Osage County schools, there are approximately 2500 Native juveniles living in Osage County. The Osage Tribal Youth Program will conduct meetings and education trainings for the Osage youth throughout the communities by engaging curriculum during school and after school programs. Alcohol retailers will be educated on the consequences of selling to underage youth and provide community education to decrease the denial of alcohol misuse. This prevention program will also address and develop an overarching Osage specific tribal policy on UAD that will address the issues in the Osage Nation and provide direction for program development and establish the basis for community empowerment on UAD issues. The Osage Nation government consists of three bodies, the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches that serve. Approval by the Chief Executive of the Osage Nation, in lieu of a tribal resolution, is included with this application.
CA/NCF