Giving Compass' Take:

• Positive Pathways: A Landscape Analysis of Programs Serving Native American Boys and Young Men highlights the need for greater support from philanthropy.

• How can funders work to close the gaps for Native youth? What are the specific needs of Native people in your area? 

• Learn about ways for philanthropy to expand opportunities for Native youth. 

First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) published a report that examines the organizational characteristics of, strengths, and challenges faced by programs that specifically serve Native American boys and young men, which as a group tends to experience more social and health disparities than white males and Native females. In fact, previous research by First Nations noted that the key to overcoming these disparities is to reconnect Native boys and young men with their cultures and communities, and provide strong mentorship opportunities for this group.

The report – Positive Pathways: A Landscape Analysis of Programs Serving Native American Boys and Young Men – examines the current landscape of programs serving Native boys and young men. The findings from this report generally conclude that numerous programs exist across Indian Country that serve this group; however these programs tend to be severely underfunded by philanthropy, as well as significantly overstretched in their staff resources. Because of limited resources and inconsistent funding, programs serving Native boys and young men are scarce and short-lived, thus hindering the development of these critical programs.

Moreover, programs are in need of resources to train and develop mentors within their programs. This includes equipping men already in the community with the skills to take on mentoring positions, and building a pipeline for boys and young men in programs to become future mentors. This follows with First Nations’ belief that it is critical to reconnect Native boys and young men with their cultures and communities, and to provide strong positive mentorship for them.

Read the full article about gaps in supports for Native boys and youths at Yahoo Finance.