Native youth today represent strength, resilience, and cultural pride. At the same time, they face systemic challenges that affect their health, education, and opportunities. At Running Strong for American Indian Youth, we partner with Native communities to support young people through culturally grounded programs that build confidence, leadership, and access to resources. In this resource, we explore who Native youth are, what obstacles they face, and how we can all help uplift the next generation.
Who Are Native Youth in the United States?
Native youth are individuals who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN). In some communities, Native Hawaiian youth are also included, especially when the needs and challenges overlap. While not every Native Hawaiian identifies as Native American, we work with these communities when our missions align.
Many national organizations, like the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY), define Native youth as people aged 24 and under. However, definitions vary by program or survey. What matters most is recognizing that Native youth represent diverse cultures, values, and identities that are deeply tied to their tribal nations.
There are currently 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States. Native youth may be members of one or more of these tribes, each with its own unique traditions, language, and history.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2024, there were 559,819 AI/AN children (AI/AN alone) in the U.S. as of 2023. More than half of them (56%) live in seven states: Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, California, South Dakota, and North Carolina. These Native American youth statistics help paint a clearer picture of where support is most needed and where culturally relevant programming can have the greatest impact.
It is essential to understand the diversity among Native youth, including:
- Urban and rural experiences: Some youth live in cities far from their tribal communities, while others grow up on reservations or in remote areas.
- Different tribal affiliations: Each youth may have distinct traditions, languages, and forms of community support based on their tribe.
Understanding who Native youth are helps us build stronger, more responsive programs and policies that reflect their strengths and needs.
Strengths of Native Youth
Despite facing systemic barriers, Native American youth continue to embody resilience, leadership, and deep cultural pride. Too often, mainstream narratives focus solely on the struggles Native youth experience, overlooking the strengths that drive their communities forward. At Running Strong, we recognize and uplift these strengths every day through our youth-centered programs and partnerships.
Cultural knowledge & Tradition-bearing Roles
Native youth often serve as key links between generations, carrying forward sacred knowledge, stories, and customs. Many grow up participating in traditional ceremonies, speaking Indigenous languages, and learning from tribal elders. This cultural grounding strengthens identity and helps ensure that Native heritage thrives into the future. Programs like our Dreamstarter initiative support youth who are actively preserving their cultures in innovative ways.
Creativity and Entrepreneurship
Across Indian Country, Native youth are building businesses, launching arts projects, and using social media to amplify Indigenous values and voices. Their creative energy fuels movements in fashion, film, technology, and grassroots advocacy, often blending tradition with modern tools.
One inspiring example is Sara Chase-Merrick, a Dreamstarter who founded the Hupa Language Immersion Nest to revitalize her tribal language for future generations. Her leadership shows how innovation and cultural pride can work together to strengthen Native identity.
Other young creators are driving change through collective platforms like Intertribal Creatives, a project of Running Strong. Through this initiative, Native artists and entrepreneurs showcase their work, support one another, and generate income for their families and communities. You can explore and support their creations directly through the Intertribal Creatives online store.
Emerging Leaders and Changemakers
Whether organizing climate justice efforts, improving healthcare access, or advocating for tribal sovereignty, Native youth are shaping policy and speaking out. Cristin Haase, a Native dentist and Dreamstarter, is tackling dental health disparities across Native communities. She exemplifies how Native American youth step into leadership roles rooted in service and healing.
Strong Sense of Community and Identity
A defining strength of Native youth is their commitment to community. Many grow up in extended families or tight-knit tribal settings where mutual support is a core value. This creates a foundation for emotional well-being, cultural pride, and social resilience, qualities that help Native youth stand strong in the face of adversity.
Connection to Land, Family, and Language
For Native youth, the connection to land is more than environmental; it is spiritual, familial, and cultural. These ties are reflected in how youth engage with traditional practices, care for the earth, and stay grounded in Indigenous languages and teachings. This bond supports identity formation and mental wellness, especially in the face of displacement or cultural loss.
Challenges Facing Native Youth Today
While Native youth are resilient and visionary, they continue to face deep structural barriers that limit opportunity and threaten well-being. From underfunded schools to poor infrastructure and limited healthcare access, these challenges reflect long-standing inequities across Indian Country. At Running Strong, we work to meet immediate needs while supporting long-term solutions led by Native youth themselves.
Educational Barriers
According to the Center Us Report – A Native Youth Survey Report in 2024, 65% of Native youth report access to college readiness programs. However, many also shared that they lack the funding and guidance needed to transition into higher education. Without clear access to scholarships, mentorship, or application support, higher education often feels out of reach.
This divide is further widened by the digital gap. Only 56% of Native youth living on reservations have access to high-speed internet, compared to 80% in urban areas. The lack of reliable internet hinders students from participating in online learning, completing homework, or researching educational opportunities. These digital disparities limit the academic potential of youth who already face marginalization.
Poverty and Infrastructure Gaps
Many Native communities experience compounding issues tied to poverty, housing shortages, food insecurity, and insufficient access to clean water, all of which impact young people on a daily basis. Basic necessities that most American youth take for granted are not guaranteed for Native youth, particularly in rural or reservation settings.
Unsafe or overcrowded housing affects both physical health and mental wellness. Food insecurity leads to poor nutrition and chronic stress. Limited plumbing infrastructure results in hygiene and sanitation challenges. These conditions are especially acute on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where multigenerational poverty continues to undermine youth development. Learn more about this reality in our resource on Combatting Pine Ridge Reservation Poverty (2023).
Without access to consistent nourishment, stable shelter, and safe spaces to learn and grow, Native youth face an uphill battle toward success and self-sufficiency.
How Running Strong Programs Support Native Youth
At Running Strong for American Indian Youth, we recognize both the incredible strengths of Native youth and the barriers they continue to face. That’s why we’ve developed a range of Native youth programs to meet their most urgent needs, empower their dreams, and provide consistent, culturally grounded support. Here’s how we help.
Critical Needs
Critical Needs programs provide immediate relief for Native families, including food, water access, winter clothing, school supplies, and hygiene kits. These essentials help young people focus on learning, play, and community connection, rather than survival.
In FY23 and FY24, our Winterwear Program distributed over 34,000 winter coats, 30,000 pairs of snow boots, and 20,000 cold-weather kits to kids in need. One 8-year-old boy, Reuben, came to a coat distribution center wearing only a thin hoodie. After receiving his first insulated winter jacket, he smiled and said, “Now I won’t be cold anymore.”
We also support students through our StudyStrong initiative, which distributes thousands of backpacks filled with supplies to help Native youth start the school year prepared and confident.
Dreamstarter
Through the Dreamstarter program, we provide $20,000 grants and intensive support to young Native changemakers who want to uplift their communities. Since 2015, we’ve awarded over $1.1 million to Native-led projects focused on wellness, culture, environment, education, and more.
One such leader is Sara Chase-Merrick, who used her Dreamstarter grant to found the Hupa Language Immersion Nest. Her project helps preserve Indigenous knowledge for the next generation while creating space for Native youth to learn in a culturally safe environment.
Dreamstarter participants receive not only funding but also mentorship, networking, and communications training, equipping them with the tools to make real change happen.
Dreamstarter Education
Dreamstarter Teacher extends our mission to the classroom. This grant program supports educators working in Native-serving schools by funding classroom projects, cultural initiatives, and academic enrichment for Native students.
Elizabeth Syria, a teacher at Ibapah Elementary School, shared how her grant made a difference:
“The Dreamstarter grant provided an outside window to what is available in science and arts. It expanded our students’ experience and gave them a broader dream. I cannot say adequately how much the program benefited my students and their families.”
Educators have used these grants to start robotics clubs, take students on field trips, and launch cultural events, building bridges to a brighter future for Native American youth.
Educating Native Youth
We also support curriculum development and youth-led storytelling through our education initiatives.
One project with the Catawba Nation in South Carolina began as a small grant and has since blossomed into a student-driven curriculum and podcast series that centers Native perspectives. Projects like this affirm identity, promote cultural pride, and give youth the tools to speak their truth.
Oyate Ta Kola Ku Community Center
Located on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Oyate Ta Kola Ku Community Center is a safe, inclusive space for Lakota youth to gather, learn, and grow. This vibrant hub offers meals, educational programming, cultural activities, and trauma-informed care.
In 2023, over 1,000 youth and community members participated in programs at the center. According to staff, “For many kids, this is the only place they feel fully safe and seen.”
The Center provides a place where Native youth can strengthen their identity, build community, and find trusted mentors who support their long-term growth.
Cultural Programming
Running Strong’s commitment to culture runs deeper than language preservation. Our cultural programming supports young people in accessing and promoting Indigenous traditions, and encourages them to celebrate their identity in meaningful ways.
- Culture and Language Preservation Programs: Brings traditional knowledge into classrooms, camps, and cultural societies. For example, the Euchee (Yuchi) Language Project supports language camps and immersion efforts to teach tribal language to youth.
- Brave Heart Society Partnerships on Pine Ridge help sustain ceremonies, storytelling events, lacrosse camps, rites of passage, and cultural workshops. This cultural resurgence helps restore community and intergenerational healing.
- Dreamstarter Creatives: Funds Native youth artists, makers, and cultural innovators. In 2024, ten young cultural leaders received support to create art that uplifts and preserves tribal narratives.
Through direct funding, mentorship, and leadership support, these programs help foster cultural pride, provide creative outlets, and empower youth to preserve and share their traditions.
How You Can Support Native Youth
Supporting Native youth means believing in their future, recognizing their potential, and helping remove the barriers they face. Whether you’re a teacher, advocate, community member, or simply someone who cares, there are meaningful ways you can make a difference.
You can:
- Share this resource to raise awareness of both the challenges and strengths of Native youth.
- Learn more about the programs that are changing lives in tribal communities across the country.
- Make a donation to help fund education, housing, cultural programming, and essential needs for Native youth and their families.
Every action you take supports the next generation of Native leaders, artists, caregivers, and changemakers. Together, we can help Native youth grow up with the opportunities, resources, and cultural connection they deserve.
Donate to support Native youth and be part of this powerful work today.