Native American Club Inspires Indigenous Youth
Native American Club Inspires Indigenous Youth
Ciera Tsosie
This year, members of the Flagstaff High School Native American Club attended the UNITY Midyear Conference, a three-day conference tailored to empowering Indigenous students and leaders. Opportunities like this provide a platform for our club to share ideas about cultural preservation, community advocacy, and creating our own initiatives for our community of Flagstaff.
Workshops and Leadership Training
Throughout the conference, students participated in hands-on workshops covering topics such as mental health, environmental conservation, resume creation, MMIW, specific job fields, cultural preservation, and partnering with Indigenous entrepreneurs to resolve issues experienced on the reservations.
Project Collaboration and Networking
Members of FHS’s NAC joined small groups to brainstorm and design projects aimed at promoting cultural awareness and environmental sustainability. Along the way we connected with peers of different cultural backgrounds but who were equally passionate about our mission to promote Indigenous advocacy and community initiative.
Additional
President, Aislynn Arnold and I, the Inter-School Cultural Liaison, were invited on stage by LorenAshley Buford, UNITY’s project manager, and Mary Kim, UNITY’s executive director, to emcee. Thanks to this opportunity, our group has been invited to come to this year's annual conference in Oklahoma to emcee once more. During this time the FHS NAC was able to display a QR code for attendees to take a survey highlighting health disparities on reservations.
Why It Matters
For FHS students, the UNITY Midyear Conference is more than a leadership event, but serves as an essential networking opportunity for us to connect with our communities and the struggles it experiences to figure out solutions to ease the tension we face as a result of generational trauma and after-effects of colonization. We use these events to grow as advocates, celebrate our identity, and build connections with other Indigenous youth. It serves to strengthen our collective voice as your Native American Club to continue to serve our students.