The chehalis tribal youth program will: maintain zero youth involved in the court system through mentorship, youth and parent education and assessing youth views and attitudes about their place in the…

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation will receive $508,245 through September 2026 under a Formula Grant from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant funds the Tribal Youth Program, which aims to maintain zero tribal youth involved in the court system through mentorship, education programs for youth and parents, and assessing attitudes. Key services include operating an after-school program at the tribal youth center to build relationships and provide adult influences, in addition to prevention programs to keep youth out of the court system and promote mental health, responsibility, and interpersonal skills. Data collection will track youth participation and satisfaction with the program as well as the number involved in the court system over time. The program will use data and input from youth and parents to make decisions and ensure needs are met on the reservation under this Tribal Youth Program funded through the Department of Justice's Tribal Youth Program grant (CFDA 16.731).

The chehalis tribal youth program will: maintain zero youth involved in the court system through mentorship, youth and parent education and assessing youth views and attitudes about their place in the community. The program will work within the youth center after-school program to serve the youth attending, build relationships with the youth and provide a positive adult influence in their lives. As many as half the youth have reported substance use in their teen years, they come from broken homes, face peer pressure and bullying and report less cultural connection to chehalis traditions. These factors can contribute to delinquent behaviors and the chehalis tribal youth program aims to reduce the negative impacts of outside influence and build up protective factors to teach the youth to make positive choices in their lives, teaching them how the positive builds and creates a better life and community. By providing prevention programs, the goal is to keep tribal youth from entering the court system, promote good mental health practices, personal responsibility, and increase interpersonal skills. Data will include the number of youth who participate in the program, program satisfaction and tracking the number of youth who are in the court system. The chehalis tribal youth program will use the data to make programmatic decisions based on the trends over time and will allow youth and parent input to ensure the program is meeting the needs of the families of the reservation.