Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the project will address…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the project will address underrepresentation of american indian/alaska native (AI/an) individuals in stem education and occupations by providing culturally responsive learning and instruction. The overall goal is to promote a diverse and resilient health and food systems workforce in rural california by increasing participation of AI/an youth, supported by objectives (1) integrate local indigenous knowledge with ucce educational resources to develop culturally competent stem curricula for rural AI/an communities and (2) foster interest and participation in health and food systems stem education and occupations within AI/an students and young adults. The project supports three education needs areas of experiential learning, recruitment, retention, mentoring, and educational equity, and curriculum design and library resources through community engaged research. Focus groups will review current cooperative extension curricula and gather locally held knowledge in a culturally safe sharing circle format. The curricula will be compiled into a tribal teaching library and pilot tested to assess the impact of a culturally adapted educational model on AI/an students' interest in stem, science literacy and cultural connectedness. This project aligns with the program's goals to expand opportunities and improve quality of life in rural and tribal communities. Tribal project partners include foothills indian education alliance, amador tribal tanf, california heritage indigenous research project and tuolumne band of mewuk indians. Rural areas served include amador, calaveras, tuolumne and nevada counties. The project will directly support 20 students and test the curricula with 80 students. Broad implications of products will serve AI/an students across rural america.