UNITY Youth Highlight
Mazie Countryman’s fall leadership work moved between a national policy conversation, a regional youth council meeting, and hands-on support at a community powwow. Each setting asked something different of her: share a youth perspective, explain UNITY opportunities, or help a local council carry out its activities.
Countryman, who identifies as Northern Arapaho, Eastern Shoshone, Shoshone-Bannock, and Navajo, served as Northwest Representative in UNITY’s 2023–2024 National UNITY Council Executive Committee cohort. The cohort connects regional youth councils and individual members, brings youth concerns into a national network, and develops leadership through service and cooperation.
At the 2023 White House Tribal Youth Forum in Washington, D.C., Countryman participated in a panel addressing the Indian Child Welfare Act and residential schools. She described sharing the panel with two other Native youth and three White House officials. The experience placed youth voices within a discussion of issues affecting Native children, families, and communities.
She also valued the relationships formed with Native youth leaders from across Indian Country. “I will never forget the experience and knowledge I gained from the White House Tribal Youth Forum, truly was an amazing event!” Countryman wrote.
Her regional responsibilities continued through a meeting with Kiis Youth Council in Seattle. Council members discussed upcoming plans and trips and asked for more insight into UNITY and ways to become involved. Countryman’s role was to help connect those local interests with the broader youth network.
On November 11, she attended the Fort Hall Veterans Day Powwow and helped the Fort Hall Youth Council with a raffle and bake sale. That service offered a different expression of leadership: contributing to the work a youth council was already doing in its community.
The three experiences show how representation depends on both speaking and showing up. At the forum, Countryman joined a policy-focused discussion. With Kiis Youth Council, she helped youth explore future participation. At Fort Hall, she supported a council’s community activities directly.
That range connects with UNITY’s emphasis on cultural identity, social development, and youth leadership. Countryman’s account shows a young representative building relationships across those settings while keeping local youth council involvement at the center of her work.
