Wawokiya Coming of Age Mentoring Project

Lower Sioux will expand the Wawokiya Coming-of-Age Mentoring Project, a promising prevention and culturally grounded project designed to prevent the likelihood of justice-system involvement among 250 Lower Sioux youth, ages 9-17. The goal of the Wawokiya Coming of Age Mentoring Continuation Project is to prevent juvenile delinquency and justice system involvement among 250 Lower Sioux youth, ages 9-17, by expanding Wawokiya, their research-informed, culturally based mentoring project that promotes belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. To achieve this goal, Lower Sioux established the following objectives: increase awareness and access (belonging) to prevention services for Lower Sioux youth, by recruiting and enrolling up to up to 100 youth, ages 9-17, in the Wawokiya Project annually; foster community engagement through recruitment & training of up to 10 community mentors annually, including elders, staff, parents/guardians, and LGBTQ+ mentors, identified by the youth participants; increase traditional knowledge and skill (mastery) through cultural and life-skills workshops offered by the Wawokiya program and partners; expand independence and generosity for up to 20 youth annually by completing the Cansayapi Coming of Age Ceremony and participating in a community give-away.