NCUIH Youth Council: Meet Lala Forrest
I am an enrolled member of the Pit River Tribe located in Northern California. Growing up in a rural area but, pursuing higher education in an urban setting, I see firsthand how social inequalities exist and continue to persist for Native American youth.
I joined the Youth Council because I saw it as an opportunity to educate the public on urban Native American issues ranging from social welfare to health ailments. The NCUIH Youth Council understands that urban Native American youth encounter unique barriers as they strive to find a balance between their indigenous roots and Western living. We also know that Native tribal youth living on reservations also have unique barriers.
It is our hope that the Youth Council can be a source of support, and can empower both urban and tribal Native American youth to persevere and see their goals come to fruition. Thus, we created a national social media campaign under the hashtags “Culture is Prevention” and “This is Native” to raise awareness and disseminate culturally-tailored resources for both urban and tribal Native American youth on suicide and substance misuse.
If you are looking to connect to tools and resources that help you overcome social and health barriers, learn how to become an Indigi-Youth Champion and much more, please attend our National Virtual Native Youth Convening Pre-Launch Campaign.