A group of American Indian youth in Oregon recently traveled to the Oregon Statehouse in Portland, where they observed lawmakers at work and attended a ceremony recognizing Federal tribes in the State—thanks to a grant through the Tribal Youth Program (TYP).

The goal of the trip was for the youth to participate in the State House of Representatives Page Program, which offers young people the opportunity to see the State legislature in action while serving as pages for State lawmakers. Pages assist lawmakers with their legislative duties, deliver correspondence and small packages within the congressional complex, answer phones in the member cloakrooms, and prepare the House floor for sessions.

To participate in the Page Program, the youth had to apply for 1-day internships. Of the 15 applicants from the Warm Springs Reservation, 8 were accepted. Their trip coincided with Tribal Day, an event that featured nine federally recognized tribes; the participants were able to meet one of the tribal chiefs, Chief Joe Moses.

For most of the youth, this was their first time in a big city, as Warm Springs, OR, is more than 100 miles from Portland. Also, the program required the participants to wear professional dress clothes, which many of the tribal youth had never purchased. In addition, the State legislative sessions are completely different than the tribal government sessions the youth had attended.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation in Warm Springs, OR, received a 4-year TYP grant in 2007. The program serves about 70 youth on a reservation of more than 4,560 people. In addition to providing tutoring services, the program provides participants a connection to their tribal heritage and teaches them cultural activities such as preparing traditional tribal food.