Social Work Commons^™

Meeting The Transition Needs Of Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth Through Culturally Based Services, Barbara J. Friesen, Terry L. Cross, Pauline Jivanjee, Ashley Thirstrup, Abby Bandurraga, L. Kris Gowen, Jen Rountree

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

This article reports findings from three qualitative studies exploring supports for positive transitions of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth to adulthood. Community-based participatory methods were employed through a research partnership involving a culturally based community agency, the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), the National Indian Child Welfare Association, and Portland State University. Studies utilized a Relational Worldview (RWV) framework, where well-being is understood as a balance among the domains of mind, body, spirit, and context. Collectively, findings demonstrate that NAYA employs culturally grounded interventions to overcome the traumatic histories and current oppressive conditions affecting low-income urban AI/AN youth …