FORE News:

The U.S. opioid and overdose crisis has disproportionately impacted American Indian and Alaska Native communities — yet prevention strategies too often overlook cultural traditions, tribal beliefs, and the effects of historical and ongoing trauma. Indigenous adolescents face some of the highest risks, including higher rates of overdose, suicide, depression, and adverse childhood experiences than other racial and ethnic groups.

A new video from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) spotlights Project Venture, an innovative program on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota that’s helping break the cycle. Through outdoor adventures, service activities, and leadership training, the program fosters resilience, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills — all while strengthening ties to Indigenous culture and the natural world.

Since receiving FORE funding, Project Venture has reached nearly 600 youth over three years, with evaluations showing measurable gains in empathy and self-awareness.

“It’s thanks to FORE that we’re able to accomplish that,” Project Venture’s Executive Director Alfred Kahn said.

Project Venture is one of 18 organizations funded through FORE’s Family- and Community-Based Prevention Program, launched in 2022 to expand prevention, treatment, and community services for children and families affected by substance use. Many grantees are using multigenerational, whole-family approaches to address the root causes of substance use disorder.

To watch the video and learn more, click here.