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OJJDP Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center staff attended the 2018 UNITY Conference July 5-9 in San Diego, California. With around 2,200 youth and 2,400 in total attendance including adult coordinators. Hilary Hullinger, and member of our staff, and Sutton King, from our partners at Kognito, attended to present and be exhibitors. The focus of our attendance was to promote our Virtual Training Simulations.

At the booth, the Friend2Friend simulation was mainly shared with the Tribal youth, and their group leaders were provided with more information on the At-Risk for High School Educators and Trauma-Informed Policing with Tribal Youth. At the booth, everyone was excited to test out the simulations and around 40 people downloaded the Friend2Friend app right at the booth. We wanted to connect with tribal youth in the best way we knew how, through social media! We got creative, and the Friend2Friend app now has an Instagram @friend2friend_tribalyouth, and during the conference a Snapchat virtual filter was available for attendees to use within the conference area. We used Instagram and Snapchat to promote the app and connect with attendees. We raffled off hand designed hats by Native Artist J.C. Wheaten, and to be entered into the raffle you had to download the Friend2Friend app and take a picture with our Instagram photo booth cutout. By the end of the week we visited with tribal youth and their sponsors from across the country, and talked to them about taking and sharing our virtual training simulations.

During the workshop presentation, around 50 Tribal youth participated in a group demonstration of the Friend2Friend simulation. They were also given time to download the Friend2Friend app to their cell phone and follow along individually. We were lucky to have a tribal youth, Kaitlyn Pinkerton (Cherokee), with us presenting. She shared her story about a friend that intervened to help save her own life, and showed her peers how to use this important resource. The concern from the youth in attendance was moving. They expressed a deep level of interest and shared personal stories of instances where this training could have helped themselves or someone they knew. They spoke with urgency to address these issues in their own communities and were eager to begin sharing the simulations once back home.

Each of the virtual training simulations can be accessed at the OJJDP Tribal Youth Program website. Also available on the site is information on how to implement the simulations in your own community. Check them out here.

The OJJDP Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center had the opportunity to support OJJDP Tribal Grantees with strategic program planning and development at the March 2018 Tribal grantee strategic planning meeting. The meeting titled, “Vision, Justice, and Tradition: Strong Paths for Tribal Youth,” extended over a two and half days and provided comprehensive training for newly funded OJJDP Tribal Grantees with Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) Purpose Area 8 –Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness and Purpose Area 9 – Tribal Youth Program grants.  OJJDP Deputy Administrator Eileen M. Garry provided an opening address, and a traditional welcome was given by Thomas Good Luck (Diné/Navajo) and Dr. Dolores Subia Bigfoot (Caddo) Director, OJJDP Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center. Presentations and training were provided by OJJDP Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center Staff, and were conducted in large-group settings, program area specific breakout sessions, and round-table discussion. Tribal Grantees from the Navajo Nation and Coeur D’Alene Tribes shared community stories and programmatic efforts in peer-led session. Many communities shared their individual perspectives and passion to support and serve Tribal youth through their programmatic services that will focus on intervention, prevention, and innovative judicial practices. A guest plenary was provided Evan Elkin, Ph.D., of Reclaiming Futures at Portland State University entitled, “Balance, Justice, and Healing: The Complex Role Played by Youth Justice Systems in Achieving Public Health and Well-Being.”  A closing plenary was given by Dr. Bigfoot on Trauma-Informed Care discussed the complexities of serving Tribal youth, and the necessities of integrating Trauma-Informed care principles within the development of Tribal youth focused programs.

Tribal Grantees in attendance included the:

• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
• White Earth Nation
• Citizen Potawatomi Nation
• Menominee Tribal Youth Program
• Mescalero Apache Tribe
• Pueblo of Acoma
• Coeur D’Alene Tribe
• Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians
• Spokane Tribe of Indians
• Puyallaup Tribal Council
• Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
• Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Fort Belknap Indian Community
• Navajo Nation
• Quileute Tribe
• Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan
• Bay Mills Indian Community
• Cherokee Nation
• Morongo Band of Mission Indians
• Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
• Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Suicide prevention among Native/Indigenous youth is a priority for many Tribal Nations and Villages and key factors of prevention include respecting the local culture and fostering an approach that is designed and implemented by the local community.  To highlight some of the wonderful efforts in Indian Country in the area of suicide prevention, the Pueblo of Tesuque Youth Coalition (PTYC) efforts are featured here and include participation in leadership trainings, youth summits, public speaking trainings, team building trainings and hosting community service events.  The Pueblo of Tesuque practices the Tewa culture and language and is located nine miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico; a site it has inhabited since time immemorial.  The PTYC examined the social issues and needs of their community and prioritized the following areas: 1) underage drinking and youth binge drinking, 2) adult DWl rate, and 3) suicide prevention.

The PTYC organized an on-site Yellow Ribbon Ask 4 Help! Youth Suicide Prevention Training held in May 2017, another was held in August 2017 and one is planned for September 2017. Yellow Ribbon objectives include increased knowledge of help-seeking behaviors, resources, warning signs, risk and protective factors of suicide, and how to ask for help for themselves and others.  Partnerships and collaboration are key to the PTYC suicide prevention efforts and activities include training the Pueblo of Tesuque Te Tsu Geh Oweenge School staff, school board and the Pueblo of Tesuque Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court Team.  Ana Romero, Yellow Ribbon Representative, notes that Tesuque will be the first elementary school in New Mexico to have their students trained in suicide prevention.  Additionally, Mental Health First Aid training was provided in June 2017 for the PYTC, school and community and a Youth Mental Health First Aid Training will be held in fall of 2017.

Support for the Pueblo of Tesuque Youth Coalition comes from the Chamiza Grant Foundation and the Bureau of Indian Education funds the suicide prevention activities.  The New Mexico Tribal Prevention Project (NMTPP) and the Office of Substance Abuse and Prevention (OSAP) funded the Communities of Care Coalition, which led the initiative to identify the priority areas to address for their community.  The Pueblo of Tesuque also has funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) for a Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court program, which will enhance and draw upon the work of the Pueblo of Tesuque Youth Coalition.

The Pueblo of Tesuque Tribal Council fully support and commends the PTYC for their efforts toward breaking the cycles of domestic violence, recidivism, school drop-out rates, and substance abuse.  PTYC members include:  Sunny Rose Eaton, Sunshine Eaton, Brandy Barraza, Briana Juarez, Kristen Samuel, Richelle Vigil, Cameron Tenorio, Jose Oyenque, Jarren Frenier, Nathan Vigil, Orlando Barraza, James Hena, Jacy Suina, AJ Valdez, and Youth Coordinator Donna Quintana.  For more information, contact:  Daniel Hena, Pueblo of Tesuque Tribal Sheriff, Pueblo of Tesuque Tribal Council Member, [email protected].

Gatekeeper training is a prevention method for training local community members to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and to support appropriate referrals for mental health. Training community “gatekeepers” is critical for increasing access to care for those youth that are in need as youth often turn first to friends and family for help. This study examines online role-play gatekeeper training simulations with emotionally responsive avatars that have memory and personality and respond like real students experiencing psychological distress.

Virtual On-Line Training Simulations demonstrate the usefulness for training AI/AN professionals and community members who are not formally trained in mental health. Given the current disparities in suicide rates, the usefulness of the training simulations makes them important tools for preparing teachers and students as well as the general community to identify the signs and symptoms of suicide and make appropriate links to referrals.

Given the high workforce turnover and transient nature of many AI/AN communities, an online training simulation is amenable to address training of new staff, as well as periodic retraining to support, maintain, and even increase the skills of seasoned professionals.

The online training simulations also provide realistic role play to support trauma informed responses with continual feedback in a friendly, nonjudgmental environment. The avatar does not judge participants, and performance in the role-playing tasks remains confidential.

The virtual training courses can be tailored and adapted to meet the cultural and geographical needs of each AI community. The virtual training simulations provide participants with local resources they can use to link those at risk to support services.

Research paper by Dr’s Bartgis and Albright
http://go.kognito.com/rs/143-HCJ-270/images/HiEd_PK-12_AmericanIndian_AlaskaNative_Study.pdf

At-Risk K-12 simulation page
https://kognito.com/products/at-risk-for-high-school-educators

Friend2Friend peer suicide prevention training simulation page
https://kognito.com/products/friend2friend

Washoe Tribal Juvenile Probation Department

Washoe Tribe Law Enforcement and Juvenile Probation Department will bridge the gap between law enforcement, kids and the community through sports, culture, outdoor activities and mentoring relationships. Our mission is to develop productive citizens, build character, and live healthy life styles. Statistics have shown that children who interact with law enforcement officers and juvenile probation officers in a positive way, whether it be on the basketball court, community center, through education or even mountain bike riding will likely grow to respect for their community and law enforcement officers and juvenile probation officer. This link will take you to a profile of activities for this program.