The Good Path of Life: A Project for Tribal Girls Grades 7 to 12

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.

Red Lake seeks to establish a "Good Path of Life" for Red Lake girls in grades 7-12 by reclaiming, restoring, and creating a sense of belonging and purpose for girls at risk of academic failure, self-harm, delinquency, and becoming involved in the juvenile justice system. The proposal seeks to embed and employ additional resources, staff, evidence based programs, tribal best practices and additional services that target: 1) An emerging school to prison pipeline in Red Lake’s public school system; 2) high rates of suicide ideation, planning and attempts, 3) high juvenile recidivism rates, and 4) cultural connectedness for Red Lake girls to female Elders. The goals for the project by the end of year four are to: 1) increase academic success by 25% for 200 middle school & high school female students on the Red Lake Reservation; 2) increase “college preparedness” by 25% for 100 Red Lake female youth grades 10-12; 3) increase the generational Ojibwe cultural linkages/supports for 200 Red Lake girls in grades 7 -12; 4) increase effective culturally appropriate community leadership opportunities for Red Lake girls grades 7-12 via Elders and youth leadership training; and 5) contribute to the increase of protective factors and resilience which in turn will decrease victimization rates of Red Lake girls grades 7-12 by 10% through culturally appropriate community leadership opportunities. The objectives are: 1) Hire a Youth Program Director; 2) Hire a FTE Academic Mentoring Coordinator; 3) Implement American Indian Life Skills in all four Red Lake Communities involving 30 Red Lake Tribal Youth per year; 4) Provide Academic Mentoring Supports in all four Red Lake Communities; 5) Offer Tribal Youth Leadership Training for 30 Red Lake Tribal Youth per year; 6) Plan Tribal Youth GONA in year 2 for 100 Red Lake youth; 7) Utilize talking circles as a process for case planning and management, family engagement, conflict resolution in tribal courts, substance abuse, detention, and schools; and 8) Integrate guiding principles to connect the values and lifeways of the Red Lake Ojibwe into the goals and objectives of the Tribal Youth Program. CA/NCF