Consultation sessions announced for Indian Youth Service Corps Program

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland meets with youth during a visit to the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge in California on September 28, 2021. Photo: U.S. Department of the Interior

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Indianz.Com

The Department of the Interior will be consulting tribal nations, Alaska Native corporations and Native Hawaiian organizations as it moves forward with the Indian Youth Service Corps Program (IYSC).

The IYSC was established by an act of Congress in 2019. It will provide education, employment, and training opportunities to American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian youth through conservation projects on public lands, Indian lands and Hawaiian homelands.

“The Indian Youth Service Corps Program has the potential to transform the lives of Indigenous youth all across our country,” said Secretary Deb Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna who is the first Native person to lead Interior, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country.

“Young people are the future stewards of our lands, waters, and resources. I am thrilled that the Interior Department can provide greater opportunities to learn, work, and train in a variety of innovative and transformative conservation projects,” Haaland said in a news release on Friday.

A notice being published in the Federal Register on Friday announces draft guidelines for the program. The document is available as a PDF.

The notice also announces the schedule for the consultation sessions, which will take place virtually. The dates and times follow:

Consultation for all Tribes east of the Mississippi River
Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Register: zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsce-qrjgrHR9_-5h-9vtljHz4Z6TDrVE

Consultation for all Tribes west of the Mississippi River and Alaska Native corporations
Thursday, December 2, 2021, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Register: zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscumsrD8rHrvg9RUg-p5LnLRuZLfpkIo

Consultation for Native Hawaiian Organizations
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET Register: zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItce2hqDsiG4qyOuAZyPjzqd

Relevant Documents

IndianYouthServiceCorpsGuidelines
PDF: Indian Youth Service Corps Guidelines (Draft Document)

2021-23630
PDF: Indian Youth Service Corps Program Draft Guidelines and Tribal Consultations (To Be Published in the Federal Register on October 29, 2021