This News at a Glance issue highlights the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention’s fiscal year 2022 grants, the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, National Native American History Month, the role that mentoring plays in Indigenous cultures, and a summer camp for Native youth.
This newsletter, the final issue for 2022 of the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) News at a Glance, begins with a message from the administrator on funding programs that reflect a commitment to racial equity and fairness. The newsletter’s top story discusses a panel of justice-involved youth’s presentation to the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, on the difficulties they experienced in the juvenile justice system and the challenges they overcame to improve their lives. The Youth Voices section highlights Colby WhiteThunder’s leadership development, and his current role as the copresident of the 2022-23 National UNITY Council executive committee and youth ambassador for OJJD’'s Tribal Youth Resource Center. The Tribal Youth section highlights National native American Heritage Month and OJJDP-funded programs that serve American Indian and Alaska Native youth. Special Features discuss OJJDP grants awarded in efforts to protect and empower young people and improve the juvenile justice system; the staff spotlight features Stephanie Rapp, program manager for OJJDP’s Preventing Youth Hate Crimes and Identity-Based Bullying Initiative. The Tribal Connections section features three articles on OJJDP funding of tribal-focused services, mentoring, and the celebration of Native American values at summer camp. The News in Brief section provides five articles on trends in youth population in residential facilities, tips for interviewing children with disabilities who may have been abused, the AMBER Advocate’s initiative for bringing technology toolkits to Indian country, mass shootings in K-12 schools, and the effectiveness of interventions for youth who committed crimes.