Tribal PREP Enhancement - Tribal PREP Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC) 3600 San Jeronimo Dr, Anchorage, AK 99508 (907) 793-3600 education@citci.org citci.org and citci.org/youth-services Population and Needs The project’s catchment area will be the Cook Inlet region, as defined by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, in southcentral Alaska. The region is composed of the Municipality of Anchorage and large parts of the Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula boroughs. The region has 457,717 residents, who together represent 62% of Alaska’s total population. Of those residents, 60,391 (or 13%) are American Indian and/or Alaska Native (AI/AN) (alone or in combination). The Cook Inlet region’s AI/AN population represents tribal affiliations and Indigenous languages and cultures from all parts of Alaska. Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city and borough by total population and is Alaska’s main economic, transportation, healthcare, and education hub. The region draws AI/AN people from Alaska’s rural and remote communities. Proposed Services CITC’s main goals with its Tribal PREP program are to prevent adolescent pregnancy and to reduce STI (including HIV/AIDS) risk and incidence among AI/AN youths; to prepare AI/AN youths for adulthood; and to promote personal responsibility, behavior change, and positive development to AI/AN youths. Firstly, CITC will complete a needs assessment on the adolescent pregnancy and STI prevention and adulthood preparation programming needs of AI/AN youths in the Cook Inlet region. The needs assessment will be informed by a literature review of public health data, a programs review of all existing programs, and 3 focus group interviews with AI/AN youths. Secondly, CITC will complete an implementation plan for its Tribal PREP program. The implementation plan will be informed by 3 listening sessions with stakeholders, tribal elders, and culture bearers; an adulthood preparation subjects review; and an evidence-based practices review. Thirdly, CITC will build its capacity to implement its Tribal PREP program. The capacity building will include hiring and onboarding new staff members, training existing and new staff members on evidence-based practices, developing culturally responsive Tribal PREP courses, forming and reforming key partnerships, and creating a program evaluation plan. Finally, CITC will provide evidence-based, medically accurate, age-appropriate, and culturally grounded education on abstinence and contraception to prevent adolescent pregnancy and STIs and on adulthood preparation subjects to support positive development to 600 AI/AN youths over 46 months.
