Giving Compass' Take:

• Center for Native American Youth at The Aspen Institute highlights key issues for Native youth in 2019 including the census count and protecting Native land. 

• How can funders support Native youth working to improve their communities? 

• Read about empowering Native youth to lead. 

REIMAGINING A CULTURE OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Living a full and healthy life is of deep importance to Native youth. Though they encounter significant physical, mental, social, and emotional challenges, youth are guided by their culture to help them make healthy choices. One of the growing arenas in which youth are re-indigenizing health is through nutrition and work with food systems. Native youth experience the highest rates of diabetes for all races and are 30 percent more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be obese. However, Native youth leaders are battling these widespread health conditions by revitalizing ancestral diets, reconnecting with nature, creating social media campaigns, and advocating for equitable sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Youth feel empowered when their health is strong and they are able to live full and connected lives with strong community and family ties. It is important to acknowledge the overall community health and the role it plays in an individual’s wellbeing. When a community is strong, they can better support their youth and help guide them through challenges and hardships they may face.

INDIGENOUS VALUES SHAPING EDUCATION AND JOBS

A growing movement of language revitalization has ignited across the country, and we discuss how valuable language learning is as well as the broader vision for education through a Native lens. We hear from youth who are working to preserve cultural ties and to advocate for the presence of indigenous ways in the school setting, including special events like graduation ceremonies. Many schools maintain harmful, race-based mascots, and we describe the impact these mascots have on youth and their development.

We also discuss employment rates among Native people and various paths for Native youth entering the workforce. There are culturally-relevant workforce development programs designed with indigenous cultures in mind, and the report highlights some of these programs and their impact. In addition, we share how community wealth building is grounded in indigenous values and include examples of organizations that are building the capacity of their community to gain financial prosperity.

GUARDIANS OF THE LAND, SACRED SITES, AND WATERWAYS

Native youth are also focusing on being good stewards of the environment. Across the country, Native youth have led initiatives and demonstrations as concerns have risen about indigenous rights and sacred sites, climate change, and traditional ecological knowledge. Connection to the land is central to indigenous cultures, and Native youth understand the power it has to heal their communities. The protest against Dakota Access Pipeline at the Standing Rock reservation was led by youth in a powerful display of resistance, and youth continue to push against those who want to damage land and sacred sites.

Climate change is also a pressing concern for Native youth. As we discuss in the Sacred Sites, Lands, and Waterways chapter, communities in places like Alaska are relocating because their traditional lands are no longer safe to inhabit. Meanwhile, tribal communities in other parts of the country like California and South Dakota are experiencing dramatic shifts in weather patterns and an increase in catastrophic weather events. Many youth are working to prevent more damage to the environment and are passionate about uniting on this timely issue. Native youth raise their voices to advocate for tribal consultation on topics related to the changing climate and they are backed by the knowledge formed from their people’s years of close observation and dependence on the land and its resources. Furthermore, youth are keeping this traditional ecological knowledge alive by carrying on old ways like subsistence fishing for salmon and other animals.

SHAPING SYSTEMS INVOLVING NATIVE YOUTH

The trajectory of a Native youth’s life is often shaped at a young age and is determined by institutions and systems like the child welfare system and the education system. In the Systems Involving Youth Chapter, we discuss how the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) faced significant opposition in courts and how the law serves children and families. The issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a critical topic and we shed light on the facts of the issue and highlight youth who are working to raise awareness to help end the crisis. In 2019, there was more political movement around MMIW, with the first MMIW hearing to ever take place in the U.S. House as well as support from Rep. Deb. Haaland who is a passionate advocate for MMIW. Additionally, the issue of human trafficking is included as Native women and girls experience particularly high rates of trafficking and are more vulnerable to it than other ethnic groups. Native youth continue to come together to ideate solutions to keep their communities safe. They exhibit bravery and a strong sense of duty in their dedication to guarding their people and trying to build safer environments.

CONNECTING MOVEMENTS AND LEADERS TO BUILD STRENGTH AND UNITY

Native youth are helping their communities heal from trauma, and they are using innovative ways to empower and bring one another together across tribal nations. Their ability to remain grounded in their values while coming together around shared experiences and a bold vision for the future should be a model for us all on how to build momentum and work with others. As you read through this report, we hope you are inspired by the youth who are steadfast in their commitment and actions to improve and heal their communities. Their positive impacts are changing the world, and their light shines with the power from generations of ancestors who paved the way.