UNITY Youth Highlight
At UNITY’s 2024 Midyear Conference, Mahiya Ramirez found encouragement in the work of other Native youth leaders—and an opportunity to reconnect with the people carrying that work forward. The February 2–4 gathering in Phoenix brought her Southern Plains responsibilities into a national space for relationships, shared ideas, and youth leadership.
Ramirez, a Muscogee youth leader, served as Southern Plains Representative in UNITY’s 2023–2024 National UNITY Council Executive Committee cohort. The cohort connects regional youth councils and individual members, represents Native youth perspectives, and helps young leaders address common concerns through cooperation and service.
“This Midyear conference was one of my favorites by far,” Ramirez wrote. “It was nice to be around everyone and catch up.” Her reflection places those relationships at the center of the experience: time with fellow leaders helped sustain the connections behind their public roles.
She was especially encouraged by the commitment she saw in other participants. “Seeing other native youth leaders in action who are passionate about helping their communities and creating positive change is always inspiring,” she shared.
For a regional representative, that opportunity to listen and learn connects directly with the purpose of the executive committee. Youth arrive with experiences from different communities, and a conference gives them a place to encounter one another’s priorities and approaches to service.
Ramirez’s related spring reports show those conversations continuing beyond Midyear. On February 10, she attended the Potato Dance World Competition at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, where she connected with former UNITY conference participants and organizations interested in learning about UNITY.
In March, she joined fellow executive committee members at the Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas. There, conversations with organizations and other youth leaders broadened the network of relationships she described in her Midyear reflection.
Together, these experiences connect UNITY’s social development and leadership goals with the practical work of representation: remaining connected to peers, introducing opportunities to people in community spaces, and learning from others’ service. For Ramirez, Midyear offered a source of encouragement to carry into those continuing relationships.
