Native youth are the center of the continuity of Native America, and the leaders and elders of the future. These children and youth are also the descendants of our communities and, as a consequence, the collective experience of Native America; their communities, and their families, forms the nest from which they emerge.

The status of Native youth is of deep concern to our communities. Our population is fast growing, with at least thirty five percent of the Native population under the age of 20. Yet, most of our children live in economic poverty. At least one third of the reservation-based children live in substandard, or overcrowded housing, many without some basic resources, like a telephone. Federal housing programs, for instance which could assist in Native communities, are often gutted in budget appropriations (by 67 percent or more in some years), average per capita income on reservations is $4500, one out of five Indian homes have both a telephone and an indoor toilet.

Most Native children are exposed to elevated levels of violence and chronic substance abuse on a daily, or at least weekly basis, particularly in reservation communities. In the state of Minnesota, a Native child is ten times more likely to die from a violent cause than a non-Native child. Nationally, and within Canada, suicide rates of Native youth are at least ten times higher than the non-Native population. Most Native children live in households where at employment opportunities and social opportunities for their families, including their parents are chronically compromised, and their tribal governments face uphill battles to secure basic infrastructure and budgeting needs for their communities, as well as a host of other complex challenges, often a result of political battles within states, where tribes may be seeking to exercise their jurisdiction, and or expand their land base and casino revenues, only to be faced by the threat of budget cut backs to basic infrastructure. These circumstances are in spite of the boon of casinos. Health expenditures that reach tribes are far below parity.

The federal government spends $2699 a year on the average American's health, but Native people's allocation is only at $1300. Over $2 billion is needed to build new schools in Native America, and to repair and renovate present institutions. Tribal colleges are chronically under-funded, yet provide the best educational opportunity for many Native youth. At the same time, historic approaches have only exacerbated the situation. Federal initiatives in both the United States and Canada, as well as religious based initiatives have often focused on removing Native children from these circumstances, rather than providing a redress for the circumstances. As a result, the boarding school era in the US and the residential school era in Canada removed children from their homes and communities to be raised by institutions. Although there has yet to be an apology by the American government for the impact of these actions, in it's Statement of Reconciliation, the Canadian government acknowledged it's role in a process which "separated many children from their families and communities and prevented them from speaking their own languages and from learning about their heritage and cultures. In the worst cases, it left legacies of personal pain and distress that continue to reverberate in Aboriginal communities to this day." The Canadian government underscored its' apology by recognizing the problems caused to victims of sexual and physical abuse in these schools, "To those of you who suffered this tragedy at residential schools, we are deeply sorry."

There has been no similar apology issued in the United States although the circumstances are mirrored, and in fact, the Canadian residential school system was based on the American system of boarding schools. Subsequent approaches have included the now notorious removal of Native children from their homes to be placed in foster care or placed for adoption. The numbers of Native children removed in this situation is estimated to be as high as one quarter of all Native children in many communities; in some communities it is even higher. In data presented at the l974 Congressional hearings, "up to thirty five percent of all Indian children were living in non-Indian settings. Indian parents could expect their children to be removed from their homes at rates up to twenty five time higher than children from non-Indian homes."

The historic legacy of relations with Native communities remains engraved upon us. All of this is coupled with the present environmental justice, human rights, sacred sites, and fundamental; rights to survive for all Native people. Native youth find that they are borne into communities in stress, yet, at the same time, communities of renewal and renaissance. We are people of courage, and we are peoples who have survived. There is no separation of a people from their history, and their experience. There is only a healing, and a new season of renewal.

It is in this light that a discussion on foundation support for Native youth and children is best seen. Honor the Earth, working together with the Indigenous Environmental Network and Indigenous Women's Network, recognizes the need for youth involvement in environmental justice issues affecting their communities since they will bring new perspectives and new energy to a grassroots movement that has limited human resources available. We are committed to investing in youth and propose a collaborative initiative to educate, empower, and build the capacity of youth in indigenous communities. We seek to help develop the next generation of rural-and reservation-based Native American youth leaders who will become a major factor in safeguarding the health of our peoples and our environment through awareness, activism, advocacy and organizing. Our strategy is to improve their self-esteem, involve them in environmental issues in their communities, reinforce their cultural identities and develop their management and outreach skills.