Native American Youth: Drawing Strength from Our Cultures
Every day, Native American youth across the country are taking positive action to accomplish incredible things together. They are drawing on the strength of their tribal cultures to tackle a suicide epidemic 2.5 times the national rate, the serious and disproportionate rate that they are involved in the juvenile justice and foster care systems, and some of the lowest education outcomes in the country, to name a few.
Though these and other challenges to success for Native youth may be daunting, they are showcasing the resilience of Native people and building a bright future for Indian Country.
Each year, the State of Native Youth report will share what we’ve learned from a new online survey, and from our community meetings with youth and service providers in tribal communities across the country, about the priorities and solutions that matter most to Native youth. We will also examine data on indicators of Native youth success and policies that impact their lives.
One thing that came through clearly in our work this year: the power of tribal culture to Native youth. Throughout this year’s report, we focus on how Native youth draw strength from their tribal cultures to achieve success and strengthen their communities.