The Next Door’s Native Supports Program Celebrates Native Youth 

For Immediate Release:

The Next Door’s Native Supports Program Celebrates Native Youth 

By Dawn LeMieux

After a two-year pause, The Next Door’s Native Supports (NDNS) program was excited to participate in a celebration for local Native American youth hosted by the Oregon Johnson O’Malley Indian Parent committee. The event brought together Native youth throughout the Gorge to celebrate their high school graduation. Native-made blankets and gift bags were presented to Oregon and Washington graduates. Gifting blankets to Native American youth to celebrate this milestone holds deep meaning to tradition and culture.  

NDNS, a program of The Next Door, Inc (TNDI)., coordinates efforts across the Mid-Columbia River Gorge to meet the needs of Native Americans living along the Columbia River. Services include:

• A Native American Youth Outreach Worker who leads youth in cultural activities and provides Native American youth peer gathering opportunities.
• Hosting and facilitating community partner meetings to collaborate on events and receive guidance from community members on how to address barriers to services for housing, food security, healthcare.
• Planning/hosting community events that create a sense of belonging.
• Bi-weekly distributions of culturally-specific food through The Wave Food.
• Mobile Medical Unit staffed by One Community Health’s Native American Outreach teams.
• Deliveries of COVID Home testing kits to families and support with connecting to COVID supports.  
• Continued planning for youth specific events that include a Back to School event, Trunk or Treat, and community led events that allow for supportive collaboration to help them be successful.  
• The graduation gifts were made possible by the Oregon Johnson O’Malley Indian Parent committee and Oregon DHS, a Youth Support collaboration partner. Additional donations were received from The Wave Foundation, Pacific Coast Food and NICKY USA. A Columbia Gorge Community College Cultural Liaison created graduate information packets for youth who may be looking for higher education supports, as well as vocational training opportunities.
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The graduation gifts were made possible by the Oregon Johnson O’Malley Indian Parent committee and Oregon DHS, a Youth Support collaboration partner. Additional donations were received from The Wave Foundation, Pacific Coast Food and NICKY USA. A Columbia Gorge Community College Cultural Liaison created graduate information packets for youth who may be looking for higher education supports, as well as vocational training opportunities. 

To learn more about NDNS, please contact Dawn LeMieux, The Next Door Native Supports Supervisor & Community Health Worker at DawnL@nextdoorinc.org. The Next Door, a Gorge-based human services nonprofit founded in 1971, offers 35 programs that serve people at all stages of life. To learn more or to donate, visit https://nextdoorinc.org/