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Nation Building for Native Youth (NBNY) is a life-changing empowerment program for Native youth grades 10 - 12 and their adult advisors. NBNY programs represent 25 tribes from Northern Plains, Great Lakes, Southeast, Southern Plains, New Mexico and Arizona.
NBNY is the foremost program of The Nick Lowery Youth Foundation (NLYF), a 501 (c)(3) Arizona nonprofit organization. Since 2003, 150 Native Youth and 37 adult advisors have participated in NBNY Summer Institutes. An additional 1,000 youth have been reached through the materials, workshops and the work of the adult advisors in their home communities. With a grant from the UPS Foundation, NBNY is expanding its reach and strategies in 2009.
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NBNY consists of: 1. Leadership Institutes (two to three 3-5 day programs annually) 2. Advisor training and materials 3. On-going mentoring and technical assistance 4. Workshops & presentations with organizations, businesses and tribes. |
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NBNY Goals & Outcomes
The long-term goals of the program are
to enable Native youth to lead positive,
successful lives and ultimately serve
and lead their communities into a new
era of not only sovereignty, but
also robust economic, social and
political health. Youth learn
about:
- How their personality and
style can be most effective within
the group
- How this self knowledge
leads to confidence and better
leadership through public speaking
skills
- Effective ways to operate in
the greater society while remaining
true to their culture
- Ways to mobilize community
resources to make a difference.
- The inner workings of tribal
governments
As a result of this program, Native
youth return home emboldened to
solve critical community problems
and needs. They are able to put
important new skills to work to
change their own lives while
improving the lives of others. What
is more, Native communities gain
services from the youth and their
advisors. The adult advisors receive
training and materials that help
them in their future work in their
community, and the community gains
an opportunity to view youth in new
ways as partners they can trust
and respect.
NBNY Institutes create a virtual
community. . .
Both youth who are "natural" leaders and
those with "potential" work in teams or
clans. The focus is on increasing
self-awareness and working more
effectively in groups. No two
members of one tribe are in the same
clan.
MOVE MOUSE OVER PHOTOS TO SEE
DESCRIPTIONS.
NBNY interweaves. . .
Subject matter content dealing with
tribal government and leadership
development with. . .
- Harvard Model + Youth for Tribal
Government curricula
- Carefully crafted leadership messages
and skills practice (individual, group,
community)
- The Search Institutes 40 Developmental
Assets™ and the DiSC™ Behavioral Styles
Inventory
NBNY achieves results through. . .
- Hands-on team building and
problem-solving
- Adult and peer mentoring
- Inspirational speakers (tribal elected
leaders and staff, athletes)
- Service learning projects
- Group projects and presentations
dealing with current-day tribal issues
- Continual reflection, feedback and
affirmation
- Daily reflection activities
- Awards & celebration
NBNY develops. . .
- Self-awareness & personal empowerment
- Understanding of others (team
empowerment)
- Coping skills
- Dealing with feeling "SHY"
"UNCOMFORTABLE" "DIFFERENT" or
"SEPARATE"
- Communication skills
- Future goals, including education &
vocational
- Future tribal/community leaders
Through a best-practices framework that
is spiritually and culturally relevant,
NBNY participants are given permission
to step into a new place and realize
that they are the future of Indian
Country! A remarkable amount of
NBNY graduates discover a profound
confidence and self assurance to
step into pro active roles of real
impact and influence.
How NBNY Stands Out
NBNY regularly receives a high 9.5+ out
of ten from adult advisors and youth. It
distinguishes itself from other Native
youth programs as follows:
- Statistically significant positive
change on the Search Institute′s
Developmental Assets Profile™
- Small size, high ratio of mentors to
students
- High quality resource materials that
can be used in the community
- Focus on leadership for nation
building and community development
- High quality, carefully blended,
multi-faceted curriculum designed and
presented by professionals who are
leaders in their
fields
PLUS participants receive continual
feedback and can sense their progress
and growth throughout the Institute!
- NBNY institutes are the only program
that provide training for adult advisors
along side the youth.
In an open-ended question about personal
goals, 70% of NBNY youth comment that
they now understand the importance of
education. 67% say they are committed to
pursuing higher education.