Girl Scouts REFLECT ON THEIR TIME AT the UNITY Midyear Conference
At the 2025 UNITY Midyear Conference, young Native women took center stage in leadership development through UNITY’s ongoing partnership with the Girl Scouts. Aiyana Wellington, 6th Grade, of Chinle, AZ, joined Shiloh Saganey, 12th Grade, of San Tan Valley, for this year’s annual event. For the fourth consecutive year, this collaboration provided Native Girl Scouts with transformative leadership experiences, connecting them with Indigenous peers nationwide and reinforcing the importance of community, resilience, and empowerment.
Through workshops, mentorship, and digital storytelling training, participants learned how to use media to organize, advocate, and raise awareness on the issues that matter most to them. By elevating their voices through storytelling, they gained the confidence to become leaders in their communities and beyond.
Strengthening Native Leadership Through Sisterhood
The Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council has long been committed to uplifting young Native women. Their efforts include hosting the Native American Girl Scout Gathering at Willow Springs in Prescott, where Native American girls come together to celebrate culture, strengthen leadership skills, and form lifelong connections. The council serves girls from 18 Native American communities, including those living on reservations and in urban areas, ensuring that Indigenous youth have access to leadership development, outdoor education, and personal growth opportunities.
At UNITY’s Midyear Conference, Native Girl Scouts participated in team-building activities, cultural exchanges, and workshops on confidence-building and character development. Through these experiences, young women strengthened their self-advocacy skills and explored the power of storytelling as a means of leadership and change.
The Power of Digital Storytelling in Advocacy
One of the key aspects of this year’s partnership was teaching young Native women how to use digital storytelling as a form of community organizing. Through hands-on workshops, they learned how to:
- Craft compelling narratives that highlight important issues in their communities.
- Use media tools such as video, photography, and social platforms to share their stories.
- Engage their peers in meaningful conversations about identity, culture, and the challenges Indigenous youth face.
By blending leadership development with digital storytelling training, the Native Girl Scouts left the conference equipped to advocate for their communities, lead projects with purpose, and use their voices to inspire change.
Shared Missions: UNITY & Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine
Both UNITY and the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council share a vision of empowering future generations of Native women through:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion—ensuring that all young women, regardless of background, have access to leadership opportunities.
- Building confidence and character—providing a safe, welcoming environment where girls can develop essential skills for success.
- Strengthening cultural identity—creating spaces where Native youth can connect with their heritage and use it as a foundation for leadership.
Through their ongoing partnership, UNITY and Girl Scouts continue to amplify the voices of young Native women, ensuring they have the tools, resources, and support needed to thrive as leaders, storytellers, and advocates for their communities.
“The Girls Scouts is an inspiring organization for young girls. Having the privilege to take part in the Cactus Pine Council’s events has been a very encouraging experience. I personally have not been a Girl Scout myself, but seeing all of the lives that have been positively impacted reminds me of when I first started out in the UNITY organization. Our missions are very similar and it is great to see that many young girls who are involved with Girls Scouts also express interest in our organization as well. The partnership that we have shared through the past few years is one to be celebrated and carried on, so together we can help empower more young Native girls to be community leaders.” – Audri Mitchell, Project Assistant for UNITY.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Native Young Women’s Leadership
As the 2025 UNITY Midyear Conference came to a close, the impact of this partnership was clear—Native young women are stepping into leadership roles with confidence, resilience, and purpose. Through initiatives like the Native American Girl Scout Gathering and digital storytelling workshops, the next generation of Indigenous women is being empowered to lead with strength, use their voices for change, and uplift their communities through action.
The partnership between UNITY and Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine is more than just a program; it is shaping the leaders, advocates, and storytellers of tomorrow. As young Native women continue to rise, share their stories, and stand together, they are proving that their voices are powerful—and the world is ready to listen.