TURTLE MOUNTAIN YOUTH COUNCIL

Placing Youth on the Path to Success

The Turtle Mountain Youth Council is a group that considers themselves ‘change makers’. This group works toward the betterment for the youth and young adults of the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. This reservation is six miles by twelve miles located in North Central North Dakota. The Turtle Mountain reservation is the home of 16, 500 members that live on or adjacent to 6x12 reservation.
In mid 2017, the Turtle Mountain Youth Council hosted a youth summit to discuss the challenges faces by the youth of the reservation. Also, most importantly, to find solutions that would better the lives of tribal youth. The summit was eye opening in terms of hear crippling challenges that the youth face daily. The youth council were faced with the reality that almost every participant was negatively impacted by methamphetamine. There were high concern of criminal behavior trends that include theft, vandalism, bullying, drugs, alcohol, neglect in the home; in which resulted in physical and mental trauma, lack of sense of belonging, and lost identities.
When we shifted the focus to find the solutions, there was a surprising hope in the air. The youth were ready to reclaim the identity of our people. There was a long conversation of revitalizing the culture. The youth cried out for a new positive cycle to begin. They deeply expressed the need for positive reinforcements. They want places to gather, positive things to do away from negative influences, and opportunities to better their future.
The Turtle Mountain Youth Council considered the problems, gathered the wishes, and reinforced the hope. We transcribed our change into a strategic plan. As you continue scrolling, you will have the opportunity to learn what those wishes are.