Weaving Protection and Healing for Indigenous Youth

Community safety

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Applying a proven solution to a new issue or sector (using an existing model, tool, resource, strategy, etc. for a new purpose)

With the destabilization and funding insecurity that comes as a result of federal programs being cut across the state, we are acting quickly to gather information from youth and families who have been marginalized out of fear, poverty, red-lining and other exclusionary policies. There is a palpable sentiment of anxiety, fear and concern among our Indigenous communities in LA and we need to gather to get our bearings or run the risk of being woefully unprepared for the shifting times. While decisions are being made over our lives, our people have yet to hold a space or receive support to determine how to prepare or respond. Young people, future leaders and their families carry solutions and insights that LAIPA will use to collectively strategize solutions, while we demonstrate the value of our Indigenous Circulo/talking circle processes.

LAIPA has the expertise, experience and networks to carry out this traditionally formatted consultation process among LA County’s Indigenous landscape that will generate valuable insights to local leadership as to what the pulse of our people is currently. Usually, that’s where the best solutions are born from too, when we bring people together and listen to one another. Then we can see who is out seeking to connect and collaborate further, in particular, in providing focused support to Indigenous youth and their families.
We propose to implement the Circulo model we have taught across the region with a format and flow that is easy to understand and participate in. This capacity is one our organization carries with absolute confidence as an antidote to the climate of confusion and fear, and mitigate the tinder of greater grief among our peoples. Regional Circulos are a mechanism for dialogue that gives all participants a voice and opportunity to connect within that area of LA County where they reside.
We’ll divide up the County based on population concentrations of Indigenous residents (using Census data). There will be four of these regional gatherings within LA County, with a culminating County-wide event taking place bringing together an accumulated energy into the Encuentro, where Indigenous youth take center stage and have the opportunity to meet, learn and envision together next steps.

To assure that we are reflecting different pockets of Indigenous Youth, we’ll convene our recently-graduated LA Ameri-Corp Public Health Center Fellows from our facilitation program to aid in outreach so that no community is left behind. By being inclusive, we will have been successful.
Our values and priorities are generally aligned across the foundation of who we are as Indigenous nations, but with the landscape shifting so quickly, there are no other mechanisms to bring us together in this urban environment where we can discuss baseline objectives. Bringing together Indigenous Youth from across the County can be a catalyst for solutions and solidarity, and with progress in that direction, we are successful.
In each space, we’ll invite CBO’s to do outreach for their programs and services which highlight what is available for youth nearby. By generating visibility and access to services, we will have been successful in improving the quality of life of LA’s Indigenous youth.