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) 2012 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 Tulalip Tribes of Washington will provide a treatment group for young Native women that will help them learn critical life skills needed to successfully transition into adulthood. The group will be a safe place where girls can form relationships, receive and give peer support, increase their social networks, and receive mentoring from trusted adults who can serve as girls' advocates and role-models. The program will incorporate a Tulalip best-practice model to teach life skills including culturally appropriate skills to youth ages 14-17. The goals of these skill-building exercises are to increase socio-cognitive and emotional development, increase self-protection skills, and to foster better parent/child communication. An additional goal is to decrease teen pregnancy and truancy, while avoiding the hazards of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Specific objectives include: 1) organizing a Strategic Planning Advisory Board; 2) developing assessment instruments; 3) offering life skills classes; 4) providing medical services and health education; 5) Helping young women practice acquired skills; and 6) increasing attendance at Heritage High School. The Tulalip Tribes of Washington will monitor progress by compiling, tracking and analyzing data.

CA/NCF