Absentee Shawnee Tribal Youth Program.

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. Under Purpose Area 9, Tribal Youth Program, OJJDP seeks to support and enhance tribal efforts to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency and strengthen a fair and beneficial juvenile justice system response for American Indian and Alaska Native youth. The funding in this purpose area is made available to enable tribes to create, expand, or strengthen approaches along the juvenile justice continuum that can range from prevention to intervention and treatment.

The Absentee Shawnee Tribal Youth Program will implement a Youth Explorer program and runaway prevention initiatives; revive resources through the revitalization of the Native American Club at Little Axe middle and high schools; and sustain current programming by providing funds to hire temporary, part-time workers to decrease staff to youth ratios. A Tribal Youth Resource Specialist will serve youth ages 11 to 17 years old by assisting with the Native American Club at Little Axe middle and high schools, identifying areas of need, seeking resources to assist runaway youth and their families, and developing a referral form and system to be used in the tribal court and with the police department. The Specialist will work collaboratively with the police department and community partners to develop the Youth Explorer program. CA/NCF