Tanana Chiefs Conference

The Tanana Chiefs Conference Community Suicide Prevention project provides culturally appropriate suicide prevention activities to Interior Alaska Native youth ages 10-18, one of the highest risk groups for suicide in our nation.  The purpose of our project is to support local and regional community efforts to prevent suicide.  Our goals and objectives support this by addressing direct service gaps in the suicide prevention continuum within the TCC region.
We will provide two culturally relevant evidence-based practices in schools within our target communities using local teachers, adult advisors and peer leaders to provide education and training to youth.  American Indian Life Skills Development is a school-based suicide prevention curriculum designed to reduce suicide risk and improve protective factors among American Indian adolescents 14 to 19 years old.  Sources of Strength is a comprehensive wellness program that uses the combined power of peer and caring adult relationships to improve social norms, enhance coping and social support, and increase help-seeking behaviors in order to reduce conditions that give rise to suicide and other risk-taking behaviors.

Achievement of these goals will result in long term changes within the target population.  It will:  increase community responsiveness to and engagement in suicide prevention efforts; decrease youth suicide; increase youth connectedness, resiliency and life skills; and increase community and agency efficiency and responsiveness to suicide.

Goal 1:  To raise awareness and increase community knowledge of suicide prevention.
Objective 1.1: 3,641 individuals exposed to suicide prevention/awareness messages
Objective 1.2: 47 youth craft Hope, Help Strength messages

Goal 2:  Increase youth-centered prevention strategies.
Objective 2.1: 16 school teams prepared to provide suicide prevention education and training
Objective 2.2: 661 students participate in life skills training
Objective 2.3: 47 youth became peer leaders

Goal 3: Improve the system of care to prevent suicide in Alaska Native communities
Objective 3.1: School personnel in 16 schools participate in ASIST or Gatekeeper training
Objective 3.2: 100% of youth referred for suicide will receive a mental health intervention within one hour of referral
Objective 3.3: 3,641 individuals exposed to system responsiveness messages

We will provide services to 2,698 unduplicated individuals in Year 1; 1,311 in Year 2; and 956 in Year 3 for a total of 4,965 clients over the lifetime of the grant.