Project Title: Turtle Mountain Youth Suicide Prevention Program - Project Title: Mino-Bimaadiziwin Pathways Applicant Organization: Turtle Mountain Outreach Project Abstract Turtle Mountain Outreach (TMO), in partnership with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI) and community partners, proposes Mino-Bimaadiziwin Pathways (Living in a Good Way), a five-year youth suicide prevention and early intervention initiative serving American Indian youth and young adults ages 7–24 within the Turtle Mountain Reservation and surrounding service area. The project will strengthen suicide prevention infrastructure across schools, healthcare settings, behavioral health programs, and other youth-serving systems through screening, coordinated response systems, workforce development, family support, community engagement, and culturally responsive prevention strategies. The project will improve early identification of suicide risk, strengthen referral and response pathways, expand workforce capacity, and increase access to culturally responsive supports for youth and families. Over the five-year project period, Mino-Bimaadiziwin Pathways will strengthen the capacity of youth-serving systems to identify, respond to, and support youth at risk for suicide. Activities will focus on three primary systems: school systems and educational institutions, pediatric health programs, and mental health programs, while strengthening coordination with other youth-serving organizations. Through training, technical assistance, systems coordination, and community engagement, the project will improve access to early identification, referral, and support services. Key project activities include implementation of evidence-based suicide risk screening practices; development of a coordinated suicide risk response system that includes safety planning, referral pathways, and follow-up procedures; community-based prevention and postvention activities; workforce training and skill development; family support and resource navigation; public awareness and community education efforts; implementation of data collection and evaluation systems; and continuous quality improvement activities. The project will promote awareness and utilization of local resources, Tribal behavioral health services, and national supports including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The project will build upon and complement existing community prevention efforts while expanding sustainable infrastructure for early identification, coordinated response, family support, and systems collaboration. Community engagement will be central to project implementation. A Community Advisory Council and Youth Advisory Council will guide project planning, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability Tribally driven efforts. Prevention activities will emphasize youth leadership, family engagement, cultural strengths, connectedness, belonging, resilience, and protective factors, while simultaneously promoting lethal means safety and reducing barriers to help-seeking. Evaluation activities will measure implementation, outcomes, and systems change, while supporting continuous quality improvement. Evaluation and data activities will be conducted in accordance with Tribal sovereignty and governance principles and in consultation with the Tribal Nations Research Group (TNRG https://tnrg.org/) Research Review Board, as appropriate. Lessons learned and implementation experiences will be documented throughout the project period and may be shared through Tribal partnerships and professional networks to support ongoing learning and capacity-building among Tribal communities while honoring Tribal sovereignty, community priorities, local context, and Tribal data governance requirements.
