Extraordinary Young People (EXYP) is a Christian nonprofit that exists to serve the underserved, the broken in heart and spirit, and the forgotten. Our focus is to serve Native American youth (ages 6-21) and their families on reservations, villages and reserves. In 2007/2008 we are expanding from our service at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation to additional reservations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. We operate youth centers with a focus on Christian discipleship (children may attend and participate in many programs and are never required to participate in religious programs); sports and recreation; champ stamps (our incentive program); Young Life; Crossover; abuse and addiction prevention and awareness; life skills and career development; and more.

Why our role is important:

• Less than 10% of Native Americans profess to be Christians
• 1 in 6 Native American adolescents has attempted suicide—a rate four times higher than that of other teenagers.
• Rates of substance dependence and abuse among persons age 12 and older is highest among American Indians. Rates of illicit drug use (10.1 percent), alcohol (44.7 percent) and binge alcohol use (27.9 percent) are among the highest in the nation.
• A Native American child is twice as likely to suffer abuse or neglect as other American children.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is 33 times higher in Native Americans than non-Native Americans.
• Half of all Native Americans nationwide never finish high school.
• Native Americans have the highest level of unemployment (90% on many of the reservations during winter months) and poverty (26% live below the poverty level). Statistically, Native Americans are in the highest poverty level of all Americans.
• Injuries and violence account for 75% of the deaths of children 19 and under.
• Not quoting any statistic, but through experience, we find that many of the kids just need to have a place to get away from alcoholic parents, abusive parents, or other home situations that don’t feel safe. We provide that safe place where kids can just “hang out” or participate in one of many programs we offer. We stay open later and are open more often than other reservation programs (many reservations don’t have ANY facilities for kids).
• 54 tribes make up the tribes in the Northwest. In the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, only four tribes are served by Boys and Girls clubs. The Boys and Girls clubs are geared towards serving elementary-aged children. EXYP serves ages 6 to 21.
• Homelessness: Approximately 90,000 Native families are homeless or under-housed. Of the existing homes, 11.7 percent lack complete plumbing facilities and 16.9 percent lack telephone service.
• Tribal Health Analysis Disease patterns among Indians are strongly associated with adverse consequences from poverty, limited access to health services and cultural dislocation. High rates of unemployment, discrimination and cultural differences all contribute to unhealthy lifestyles and disparities in access to health care for many Indian people.
• Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of mortality among Indian people, with a rising rate that is significantly higher than that of the general U.S. population.
• American Indians have the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the world. The incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising faster among American Indians and their children and young adults than in any other ethnic population, and is 2.6 times the national average.
• American Indians die at higher rates than other Americans from alcoholism (770 percent higher), tuberculosis (750 percent higher), diabetes (420 percent higher), accidents (280 percent higher), homicide (210 percent higher) and suicide (190 percent higher).

What we plan to accomplish:

• Our mission is to bring restoration and wholeness to the lives of our most hurting and underserved young people. We want to see them saved, healed, equipped and released into their God-given calling and gifting.
• We want to see a measured reduction in youth and families being referred to youth & family crisis agencies, such as Child Protective Services.
• We want to see a measured increase in youth planning for their futures.
• We want to see a measured decrease in juvenile criminal activity on each reservation we serve.
• We want to see a measured increase in youth engaging in career development planning and pursuing opportunities for higher education and job training. 

Why we believe we will be successful:

• Our first measure of success came on the Crow reservation where we, through our EXYP Youth Center, were credited with reducing the crime rate by 50% and saw the suicide rate go away in an area long plagued by the pain of teen suicide.
• At the Warm Springs, Oregon reservation, we have been successful in bringing over 1600 of the reservation’s 1900 kids into our Youth Center.
• Because the tribes have seen our success on the Crow reservation in Montana and at the Warm Springs, Oregon, reservation, they are doing something rare and fairly unheard of due to their understandable distrust of non-Native people. They are inviting us into their communities, onto their reservations, into their homes, and are allowing us to help their kids.
• Tribal reservations are actually standing in line for the opportunity for us to come and work with their kids. We currently have more of a demand for our services than we can supply: We now have a two-year waiting list for opening new Youth Centers on reservations in the Northwest.
• We eliminate entitlement in all we do. We offer incentives for community contribution, leadership, and individual achievement.
• We require the tribes to contribute 25-30% to our start up and ongoing Youth Center costs. All the tribes who’ve asked us to operate on their reservations have made that financial commitment.
• We have a strong prayer team.
• We are good stewards of our resources.
• One of the greatest opportunities we have is the opportunity to introduce a new way of thinking to the young people on the reservations. We can, through our successful program models, show them that there are ways to have a different kind of life, that it is okay to be successful, and show these young people how to find the tools and support to build better lives for themselves in many ways. Fortunately, we have the support of Native leaders who want better lives for their people.

We talked with two of the kids from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation last week. Poncho is a chubby 12-year-old with one of the most angelic smiles you’ll ever see. He’s quick with a joke and eager to lend a hand. He’s been participating at the Youth Center since it opened. His father is in prison; his mother abandoned him. His grandparents are now the guardians of Poncho and his four siblings. The grandparents believe the Spechtrum Youth Center is instrumental in helping Poncho maintain his attitude and his eagerness to learn. Poncho shared with us, “I like to learn about God!” In school, he’s brought his grades up to A’s and B’s since the Spectrum Youth Center opened.

Walter doesn’t have the ever-present smile Poncho has—he tries not to let his feelings show on his face. Like Poncho, he’s young.  And he’s scared. Really scared. His young cousin recently had his face carved by a knife-wielding gang member on the reservation. Walter only lets his guard down when he’s at the Youth Center. In Walter’s words, “it’s a safe place. I can go there and learn things and not feel afraid.”

Statistics source: National Indian Child Welfare Association, 2002; authors Anglea A. Willeto, PhD and Charlotte Goodluck, PhD, Northern Arizona University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Sociology and Social Work