In her welcome remarks at OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Strategic Planning Meeting in Norman, OK, OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry assured the 116 participants that the Office will continue to support tribes' efforts to find holistic and culturally based solutions for youth.

Titled “Uniting Minds, Impacting Youth,” the meeting took place on March 27–29, 2017, and brought together OJJDP’s fiscal year 2016 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation grantees to discuss the development of strategic plans to implement their tribal youth programs and Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court grants. OJJDP staff members participating in the discussion included Associate Administrator Jim Antal, who leads the Office’s Youth Development, Prevention, and Safety Division and Grant Program Specialists Kara McDonagh, Keisha Kersey, and Kerri Strug. The attendees also received intensive, hands-on training from OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (TYTTAC) representatives.

Three days of training followed an opening prayer offered by Miss Indian Oklahoma Sydney Morgan Prince and a Calling Song from TYTTAC staff members Cortney Yarholar and Nicholas Birdshead. The sessions focused on beginning the strategic planning process, establishing community advisory teams, composing mission and vision statements, developing logic models, collecting and evaluating data, building program sustainability, and engaging youth in program development efforts.

Participants also visited the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, recepient of a 2016 OJJDP Healing to Wellness Court grant. During the site visit, representatives from various youth-serving programs discussed collaborating on the creation of the tribe's Healing to Wellness court.

“We designed this training to serve you and the needs of your programs,” Ms. Garry said. “Our hope is that you will leave here with a clear vision of where you want your program to go and the steps you will take to accomplish your goals.”

During the meeting, OJJDP debuted the virtual “Trauma-Informed Policing With Tribal Youth” training. The training teaches law enforcement personnel in tribal settings about the effects of historical and intergenerational trauma and how to lead positive police-youth interactions. The role-play simulation covers topics, such as becoming trauma informed, building rapport and modeling respect, and empowering positive decisions. The OJJDP-supported training was made available through a grant to the Indian Country Child Trauma Center at the University of Oklahoma Sciences Center and is free to all U.S. tribal law enforcement personnel, federally recognized tribes, and Bureau of Indian Education Schools.

Resources:

Visit OJJDP’s website for more information on the Office’s tribal youth programs and services.

For more information on the trauma-informed policing virtual training, e-mail [email protected] or call 405–271–8858.