Free Native Youth Health & Peer Support (13-24) | We R Native
We R Native (WRN) is a multimedia health resource created for Native youth by Native youth, managed by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB). It addresses the holistic health and wellness needs of American Indian and Alaska Native teens and young adults — typically ages 13 to 24 — through an interactive website, peer Q&A, social media, a text-messaging service, monthly contests, and small community service grants. We R Native is one of the largest and longest-running Indigenous youth health platforms in the country.
What to Expect
Native youth engaging with We R Native can browse health and wellness content created with and for them — physical health, mental health, identity, relationships, grief, suicide prevention, sexual health, sobriety, and culture. The Ask Auntie Q&A service lets youth submit questions and receive thoughtful, culturally grounded responses. We R Native’s grief support content offers Indigenous youth and their families resources that respect traditional practices while connecting to clinical care when needed. The site also features peer stories, videos, and a community service mini-grant program that supports Native youth-led projects in their own communities.
Who This Group Is For
We R Native is built specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native teens and young adults, with a primary audience of ages 13 to 24. The platform meets Native youth where they are — primarily online and on mobile devices — and is designed to be accessible across Indian Country, including in remote and rural Native communities. NPAIHB also operates a sister project, Healthy Native Youth, which gives educators, tribal health workers, parents, and other caring adults the training and tools to deliver age-appropriate programs.
Why Peer Support Works
Indigenous youth often describe how powerful it is to engage with health content created by people who share their identity, history, and cultural context — content that doesn’t require explaining what it means to be Native before getting to the topic. We R Native’s by-and-for-youth model produces resources that resonate, and its community service grants and peer-to-peer content reinforce that Native youth are leaders, not just recipients, in shaping the health of their communities.
How to Join
We R Native is free. Visit wernative.org to browse resources, submit a question to Ask Auntie, sign up for the text messaging service, or apply for a community service mini-grant. Educators and caring adults can access training and curriculum through Healthy Native Youth (healthynativeyouth.org). Both platforms are managed by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board.