(Bellingham, WA)

Lummi Youth Leadership Academy

Total Award: $25,000 over 1 year

To support the Lummi Youth Leadership Academy to undertake a feasibility study and create a business plan that will address the needs of at-risk youth. The Lummi Indian Tribe, located near Bellingham, Washington is a deeply traditional and highly progressive community that is rooted in the belief that all people and all of creation are connected and interdependent. The Lummi Youth Leadership Academy emerged as the result of over three years of community consultations. The community elders were concerned with high levels of substance abuse, teen-on-teen violence, teen pregnancy and high drop-out rates. The Academy will use cultural values and traditions to reaffirm the importance of these young people to their community. The Academy will provide students with a residential experience where they can achieve academic goals, acquire new tools for self-understanding, and learn about their traditional culture, history and heritage from clan leaders. This program will partner with an existent Wellness and Prosperity Initiative funded by the Northwest Area Foundation.

Program Contribution Breakdown:
$5,000 Arts and Culture Program: Objective I, Strategy 1
$5,000 Environment Program: Objective II, Strategy 1
$5,000 Health Program: Objective I, Strategy 2
$5,000 Interprogram Initiatives for Social and Economic Justice: Objectives I & II
$5,000 Jewish Life & Values/Contemplative Practice: Goal I, Objective 3