Project Tikba Tohwikeli (Shining Future) - CNO proposes Project Tikba Tohwikeli, which means Shining Future, a trauma-informed Native-youth centered initiative to be implemented at Jones Academy (JA), a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded and Choctaw Nation supported residential boarding school located near Hartshorne, Oklahoma, serving Native youth from across Oklahoma and multiple Tribal Nations. This initiative will immediately shift away from fragmented care toward a highly integrated, 24-hour system of support, merging Western evidence-based clinical modalities with cultural Choctaw practices to support students' mental well-being and cultural resilience. Over the 48-month project period, Project Tikba Tohwikeli will serve at minimum 35 Jones Academy students annually. Jones Academy serves Native American students in grades 1-12 (approximately ages 6-18) who are experiencing clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation at rates significantly higher than the national average. Project Tikba Tohwikeli will expand the Academy’s behavioral health capacity by nearly doubling its behavioral health workforce and partnering with Choctaw Nation Health Services Behavioral Health (CNHSBH) to provide screening, assessment, treatment, crisis intervention, and care coordination for students experiencing mental health challenges. Project Tikba Tohwikeli will flow through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Tier 1 (Universal) will establish an environment of “felt safety” across all classrooms and dormitories for 100% of students. This is achieved by deploying the academy’s Residential Student Support Program (RSSP) and through campus-wide training in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), which focuses on providing supportive caregiving and positive daily experiences. Tier 2 (Targeted) addresses the needs of 20% to 25% of the student body who need additional support to thrive. Staff will look at the “why” behind their actions, such as wanting attention or seeking sensory input, by using the EATS (Escape, Attention, Tangible, Sensory) framework. In addition, Project Tikba Tohwikeli will organize small groups using neuroscience-backed Manage Your Self (MYS) curriculum to help students build essential life skills. Tier 3 (Intensive) will provide wraparound care for 10% to 15% of acute, high-risk students. For these students, Project Tikba Tohwikeli will utilize 90-day goal setting agreements and specialize Residential Skills Plans (RSPs) that include trauma therapy and culturally-grounded restorative circles. Project goals are to increase access to trauma-informed behavioral health services, improve school climate, strengthen family and community partnerships, reduce behavioral health symptoms, and establish a 24-hour continuum of care for Native youth. Deliverables will include securely managed patient data that strengthens the evidence base for Native American youth behavioral health treatment. Expected outcomes will include the reduction of behavioral infractions, a decrease in students’ anxiety and depression scores, and the establishment of an unbroken 24-hour continuum of trauma-informed care that will transform our Native American students’ survival instincts into sustained, generational resilience.
