CNAY Hosts Students from Little Big Horn College

written by CNAY Program Coordinator Neely Bardwell (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians)

On Wednesday, June 10, the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) hosted 30 students visiting Washington, DC from Little Big Horn College – a Tribal College in Crow, MT – at the Aspen Institute offices. Ranging in age from 14-20, CNAY was the student’s last stop on a weeklong trip to the nation’s capital. 

CNAY welcomed the opportunity to sit in community with the youth and their chaperones, engaging in multiple trainings and conversations that prompted new ideas and ways of thinking they could take back home with them. First, we completed the Shield Activity together, which fosters self-reflection and asks participants to identify their unique abilities/traits, opportunities for growth within, questions they have for themselves, and what medicines they carry from their communities and ancestors. This grounding exercise was especially powerful on the backdrop of their visit to DC – a large, somewhat foreign city, which most of the youth were experiencing for the very first time. 

After lunch and time spent getting to know the youth on a personal level, we gave the youth a broader overview of what CNAY does and how we interact with Native youth across Indian Country, focusing on opportunities this group could take advantage of, including the Democracy is Indigenous (DII) initiative. The DII training challenged the youth to think about what unique needs and issues are facing their communities, and how they could make a positive impact. We also discussed what makes democracy an inherently Indigenous concept, and emphasized the importance of the upcoming midterm elections. We hope the youth left with a better understanding of how they can make a difference back home, offering ways to engage with family and friends even if they aren’t old enough to vote. 

At CNAY, our goal is to help uplift and encourage Native youth to make their voices heard. We are thrilled to have made this connection with the Little Big Horn College community and look forward to continued engagement in the future.