Project Name: FPT Native Connections Program
Population(s) to be served (demographics and clinical characteristics): As of January 2023, the Fort Peck Tribes Enrollment Office estimates the total enrollment as 13,129, with 6,408 members living on or adjacent to the Reservation. Of these 6,408 Tribal members, 34% of Tribal members living on or adjacent to the Reservation are between the ages of 0 to 17 and 36% are between the ages of 18-39. 70% of the Tribal membership is below the age of 39. The main spoken language is English, with some people speaking Nakoda or Dakota. “The median age is 29, per capita income is $18,301, 31% are below the poverty line, 55% of children under 5 years of age live below the poverty line, 74% have a High School degree but no College degree, 14% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 46% are not in the labor force, and 46% are in the labor force and employed, 8% are in the labor force and unemployed. (Fort Peck Tribes Community Economic Development Strategy 2021).”
Strategies/interventions: Our strategy is to engage youth ages 0-24 living on the Reservation to participate in cultural activities that express connection to culture and family and provide a sober and balanced environment.
Project goals and measurable objectives, including the number of people to be served annually and throughout the lifetime of the project, etc: The GOAL of the FPT Native Connections is “to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote behavioral health among American Indian youth on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.” To achieve this goal, we have developed the following measurable objectives:
Objective 1 Required – By the end of Month 4 the Native Connections team will update its behavioral health Disparity Impact Statement (DIS).
Objective 2 Required – By the end of Month 4 the Native Connections team will conduct a Community Needs Assessment (CNA)
Objective 3 Required – By the end of Month 6 the Native Connections team will update its Community Readiness Assessment (CRA)
Objective 4 Required – By the end of Month 9 of the project period, the Native Connections team will develop a Tribal Strategic Action Plan (TSAP)
Objective 5 Required – Establish a Youth Advisory Group that provides guidance and feedback about the project and whose contributions and recommendations are addressed by the project – (The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) does not specify a required date). -Completed and Ongoing-
Objective 6 Required – Develop and/or revise “postvention”6 protocols that reflect the traditions and culture of the community while also addressing coordination of care and intervention among youth-serving agencies for both immediate and follow-up care for AI/AN youth. (The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) does not specify a required date). – Ongoing -
Objective 7 By the end of Month 36, the Native Connections team will conduct a Youth Needs Assessment (Ages 0-24).
Objective 8 By the end of Month 60, 11 Youth will have attended the Native Pride Youth Conference in Billings, MT
Objective 9 By the end of the Project Period (60 Months), at least 1,000 American Indian Youth will participate in cultural activities and events sponsored by, co-sponsored by, coordinated with or supported by the Native Connections program on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
Objective 10 By the end of the Project Period (60 Months), Native Connections staff will have conducted 48 suicide prevention trainings (ASSIST, SafeTALK, QPR) to approximately 200 American Indian Youth and Adults per year living on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.