The overall goal of the choctaw cultural connections (CCC) prevention program is to imbue choctaw youth with a strong sense of who they are, where they come from and why a strong sense of choctaw…

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians was awarded $508,245 under the Tribal Youth Program (CFDA 16.731) Formula Grant by the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant will fund the Choctaw Cultural Connections prevention program to provide cultural identity and delinquency prevention services to 475 tribal youth through 2026.

Specifically, the program will offer weekly on-site classes for youth in detention, monthly off-site classes for youth on probation, and bi-monthly community outreach classes for youth ages 13-17. Program objectives include establishing partnerships, training facilitators, developing course content and delivery methods, and creating a mobile resource center. The goals are to reduce formal delinquency complaints and probation violations by 10-15-20% over five years to significantly reduce delinquency among tribal youth.

The overall goal of the choctaw cultural connections (CCC) prevention program is to imbue choctaw youth with a strong sense of who they are, where they come from and why a strong sense of choctaw cultural identity is important. The program will provide CCC classes to 475 youth by the end of the grant, as follows: (1) on-site weekly classes for youth in detention; (2) off-site monthly classes for youth in probation; and (3) BI-monthly community outreach classes for youth (ages 13-17) in their home communities. These three goals will be accomplished through six specific objectives: (1) identify and establish partnerships; (2) conduct planning, designing, and development sessions; (3) prepare CCC trainers with weekly chahta immi sessions; (4) develop CCC course content and delivery methods; (5) establish a mobile resource center to assist in programming; and (6) develop a sustainability plan. Practically, the purpose of the CCC prevention program is to significantly reduce delinquency. The expected outcomes to be measured throughout the program are to reduce overall formal delinquency complaints filed with the tribal youth court for new offenses and to reduce overall probation violations (disobedience to lawful order of court) by 10% the second year, 15% the third year, and 20% in years four and five.