Announcing the 2024 Champions for Change Class
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2024
Contact: Cheryl Bird
Cheryl@NUNAConsultGroup.com
Center for Native American Youth announces 2024 Champions for Change class of Indigenous Youth Leaders
Washington, D.C.: The Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute is thrilled to announce the Champions for Change class of 2024 – a cohort of five Indigenous youth who are leading impactful change within their communities.
“We are proud to recognize this year’s Champions for Change for their dedication and commitment to better their communities. Our Champions for Change remind the world of the power in our youth,” said CNAY Executive Director Nikki Santos (Coeur d’Alene Tribe). “We look forward to supporting, learning alongside, and building lasting change for our People. Congratulations to Tayler, Sage, Ian, Wambli, and Jeidah. You make us proud.”
The 2024 Champions for Change class joins the decade-strong Champions for Change (CFC) program and 48 Champs alumni. This year’s five selected Champs reflect the rich cultures, diversity, and resiliency of Native Peoples of the United States. Their focus areas include free tuition for Native students at land-grant universities, Native representation in entertainment, cultural connectedness, sustainable energy and green practices, and uplifting opportunities for low-income communities and urban Native youth.
Meet the 2024 Champions for Change:
- Tayler Higgins, Seldovia Village Tribe, University of Alaska Anchorage
- Sage Phillips, Penobscot Nation, University of Connecticut
- Ian Teller, Navajo, Diné College
- Wambli Gleska Quintana, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Navajo Nation, Dupree High School
- Jeidah DeZurney, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Multnomah Education Service District
Launched at CNAY in 2013, the Champions for Change (CFC) program is a Native youth leadership initiative designed to highlight positive stories of impact from Indian Country. The program develops young Native leaders through experience-based learning and culturally tailored advocacy training. Each year, CNAY selects five inspirational Native youth between 14 and 24 from across the United States to be Champions for Change. All applicants, regardless of acceptance, are named Gen-I Ambassadors and gain access to CNAY’s vast network of support and additional funded opportunities to support their work.
To schedule an interview with a Champion for Change or CNAY leadership please contact Cheryl Bird via email at cheryl@nunaconsultgroup.com. Learn more about Champions for Change and CNAY at https://www.cnay.org/champions/.
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About CNAY:
The Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute is a national organization that works alongside Native youth – ages 24 and under – on reservations, in rural villages and urban spaces across the country to improve their health, safety, and overall well- being. Rooted in culture, our vision is for all Native American youth to lead full and healthy lives, be honored for the leaders they are, and have the resources and agency to create the world Native youth are worthy of and deserve.