U.S. Attorney’s Office and Law Enforcement Partners Kick Off 2016 Camp Triumph Summer Youth Prevention Program

ALBUQUERQUE – This morning the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, New Mexico State Police, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico Army Reserve National Guard, Isleta Pueblo Tribal Police Department, Isleta Behavioral Health, the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety and To’hajiilee Behavioral Health kicked off the 2016 Camp Triumph Summer Youth Prevention Program. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement and outreach partners have operated this summer youth camp – a youth drug, gang and gun violence prevention collaborative effort – for 20 years.  Camp Triumph originally was funded by the Justice Department’s Weed & Seed Project and currently is operated as part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program in Bernalillo County that has an Urban Indian focus.   

Camp Triumph, which is open free of charge to at risk youths from ten to 13 years of age,  is designed to keep middle school youth free of substance abuse and criminal involvement by providing physically challenging recreational and life skills activities, interaction with positive role models, evidence-based gang and substance abuse resistance training, and team building.  Campers participate in fishing trips, visits to the zoo, bowling, swimming, and other fun physical activities, but also have class time during which law enforcement officers and Guardsmen make presentations on drug, gang and violence prevention.

Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque is the host for the Camp’s first session, June 13-16, 2016.  Isleta Pueblo is hosting the second session, June 20-24, 2016, and To’Hajiilee (Navajo Nation) is hosting the third session, June 27-29, 2016.

Project Safe Neighborhoods is the Department of Justice’s nationwide commitment to reduce gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun and gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful.  Since its inception in 2001, approximately $2 billion has been committed to this initiative. This funding is being used to hire new federal and state prosecutors, support investigators, provide training, distribute gun lock safety kits, deter juvenile gun crime, and develop and promote community outreach efforts as well as to support other gun and gang violence reduction strategies.