A new community health initiative is taking root in Warm Springs. The Warm Springs Diabetes Prevention program has launched Warm Springs STRONG, a youth wellness program designed to build healthy habits — and potentially life-saving ones — among the reservation's young people.
About the Program
Warm Springs STRONG is built around three pillars: physical fitness, mental wellness, and cultural identity. Through team challenges, mentorship relationships, and health education, the program aims to reduce diabetes risk among youth while promoting what organizers call "lifelong wellness."
Diabetes disproportionately affects Native American communities across the country. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has long worked to address this health disparity through targeted prevention programs, and Warm Springs STRONG represents a next step in that effort.
A Mentorship Model
One distinctive element of the program is its use of peer leadership. Organizers are actively recruiting high school athletes from the Warm Springs community to serve as mentors and help coach sessions.
"If you are a young person looking to get involved, or a high school athlete ready to step up as a mentor," organizers said, the program needs you.
The approach reflects a growing understanding that youth-to-youth mentorship can be more effective than traditional adult-led health interventions — particularly in tight-knit communities where trust and shared experience matter.
How to Get Involved
Interested youth and high school athletes can get more information by contacting Austin Rauschenburg at the Warm Springs Diabetes Prevention program. Inquiries can also be sent by email to austin.rauschenburg@wstribes.org.
The program is open to young people across the Warm Springs Reservation. No previous athletic experience is required to participate.