The inter-tribal student services (ISS), a tribal organization and its federal partners (the bureau of indian affairs, U.S. Fish and wildlife service, national park service, U.S. Forest service, and…

The inter-tribal student services (ISS), a tribal organization and its federal partners (the bureau of indian affairs, U.S. Fish and wildlife service, national park service, U.S. Forest service, and U.S. Geological survey) will provide mini-grants serving native youth community adaptation leadership congress participants. Typically, mini-grants up to $2,000 are for (1.) students projects improving their communities adaptation and resiliency regarding related natural resource conservation and stewardship capacity building directly within their home communities in response to dealing with environmental changes. (2.) programmatic involvements that address native youth development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem), outside of their direct communities. In addition, (3.) for scholarships to former congress student participants entering a stem major in either college or technical school which links has components to environmental conservation related issues. For the purposes of this grant program and the primary goal of creating a resiliency project, resilience is the capacity for a native community to absorb stresses and maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed upon IT by environmental changes. As well as, to adapt and evolve their community into more desirable states that improve the sustainability of the community, leaving IT better prepared for future environmental changes. Most native communities in the U.S. Are heavily dependent on fish, wildlife and wild plant populations and or agriculture as an essential part of their traditional life ways and subsistence. Thus, collectively this highly diverse indigenous american group is among the most vulnerable communities in the country to the negative impacts of changing landscapes. For many of these native high school students, the climate resilience and natural resource conservation message is within their traditional community values and cultural practices. Lifting up such values and or rekindling such values directly within our students communities is the primary goal of the overarching project. These grants will primarily serve to support congress students public service projects related to climate resiliency directly within their home communities. This may include programmatic involvement in developing the student s environmental leadership knowledge and skills, while encouraging science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem) career pathways that relate to the development of natural resources stewardship and conservation directly within the students home communities. Projects activities that take place outside of the students direct community are important, but will be of a lessor priority per the mini-grant proposals scoring. A third possibility, also important, but is prioritized and scored the least of the three proposal types, is to utilize mini-grant funds towards scholarships for former congress student participants entering into a stem major pathway in either college or technical school which links has components to environmental conservation related issues.