Meet the new 25 UNDER 25 class members who were honored at the 2016 National UNITY Conference in Oklahoma City in July.

Birk Albert, 17, Athabascan, Lake Placid, NY: Henry “Birk” Albert is a member of the Koyukon Athabascan Nation from the village of Ruby, Alaska. He currently resides in Lake Placid, New York where he will be entering his senior year in high school this fall. Over this past year he has broadened his experiences and reconnected to Native communities because of UNITY and CNAY. Birk was among those selected to attend the White House Tribal Youth Gathering and the Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, DC last July. He was selected as a UNITY Earth Ambassador and has been able to share his viewpoint as an Indigenous youth raised in a subsistence bush lifestyle through speeches and slideshows. He has worked tirelessly to increase awareness about climate change and Alaska’s future through his school Environmental Club and the Adirondack Youth Climate Summit. Birk was instrumental in connecting New York and Alaska youth to work towards realizing youth driven climate summits where participants can share, take action and work collectively to address climate change. Birk likes to play Varsity soccer, study history and use social media to promote opportunities and progressive ideas among Native youth – GenIzine.blogspot.com.

Caitlin Bordeaux, 24, Rosebud Sioux, St. Francis, SD: Caitlin Bordeaux graduated from Black Hills State University with a major in Graphic Design and Communication and is a certified teacher in the state of South Dakota. After graduating college, she interned in Washington, DC through the Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) Program. During her time in DC, she realized that her true passion was to work with youth in her community. Caitlin started teaching computer science/multimedia classes at St. Francis Indian School in 2015. She is an avid supporter of the arts, Computer Science for All, and Generation Indigenous. In the near future, Caitlin plans to pursue her master’s in education at Harvard University. She is grateful for this opportunity to work with inspiring Natives and to gain leadership skills to help better her community! Read More

UNITY 25 Under 25

UNITY will begin accepting applications on December 1 for the 2nd class of its national youth leadership recognition program, the “25 Under 25 Native Youth Leadership Awards”. The awards program is designed to celebrate the achievements of Native American and Alaskan Native youth ages 14 to 24 who embody UNITY’s core mission and exude living a balanced life developing their spiritual, mental, physical and social well-being.

Honorees will be recognized at a ceremony during the UNITY National Conference taking place July 22-26, 2016 in Oklahoma City. In addition to being recognized, each awardee will receive special training by UNITY over the period of one year that is designed to build on their individual achievements.

The online application form is available HERE.

2016 National UNITY Conference – 40th Anniversary

More than 1,800 Native youth leaders from across Indian Country are expected gather July 22-26,2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the 40th Anniversary of the National UNITY Conference. The five-day agenda will feature several nationally known keynote speakers, more than 30 workshops, a cultural exchange night, talent show, and awards banquet and dance. 

Registration for the National UNITY Conference will open on December 1, with a special pre-early-bird rate of $200, good only through January 15, 2016. Those interested in attending can register HERE. Tribes are highly encouraged to send representatives from their communities to participate in the conference that hones leadership skills, encourages peer-to-peer interaction and networking, and celebrates Native youth.

If you look at Kelly Charley, you’ll see an average American teen. However, if you start talking to her, you’ll realize that she’s far above average.

Charley, a sophomore at Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico, was recently at the White House. No, she wasn’t on a tour. She had been invited to the White House Science Fair to display her prize-winning project.

When Charley first received the email from AISES telling her about the invitation, she was excited. “I realized this was a once in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” she says.

Read the rest of the story on the AISES Website.

Members of the inaugural class of the UNITY 25 Under 25 program have been requested to provide a report on their activities during the year. The attached reports show that some class members have had a busy and productive time. You may read about the activities of nine program participants by clicking on the links below.

Other reports will soon be posted so check back to this page for the new additions.

What an exciting year and busy year it has been for me.  My focus has been working with the homeless population in the greater Phoenix area, a project that I hold dear to my heart.  For many people, homelessness can be just one paycheck away.  According to the Department of Economic Security’s 2013 annual report, 27,877 adults and children experience homelessness in Arizona, with Maricopa County representing 64% of the state’s homeless population. 

By providing food, warm clothing and toiletries I have taken to the streets a couple times a month to serve food and distribute my donations. In addition, I have been working with a local group that focuses on serving the homeless and providing them with my photography skills.  They use my pictures to promote service on their social media pages and in publications.

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Kelly Charley was featured in the Fall 2014 issue of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Winds of Change magazine. You may read the story online HERE. Also, on page 11 of the same issue, there is a sidebar story about Kelly being honored as a member of the inaugural class of UNITY’s 25 Under 25 program.

Much of Kelly Charley’s life has been spent with her grandparents in Sweetwater, Ariz., a small town in a rural area. Working with their farm animals made her curious about why things are the way they are. The natural world is full of mystery, Charley discovered, but science has come up with a wealth of explanations. Her mother majored in chemistry, and mother’s interest became Charley’s interests. Charley learned a great deal just from working on her grandparents’ property. She was always interested in trying new things and understanding more.

Read the rest of the story in the online Winds of Change magazine.

Leslie Locklear, Lumbee, and a UNITY 25 Under 25 Honoree, is putting her Action Planning training into practice as she spearheads three service projects.  Locklear is a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a focus on Educational Studies and Cultural Foundations.  She recently served as a peer leader at the “Today Native Leaders” Training in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Her three projects include a Healing Circle for inter-generational women, college prep workshops and higher education workshops. “The first healing circle will be held in December with inter-generational women in the One Spirit Dance Group in Guilford County, North Carolina. Within the North Carolina tribal community the women of the Waccamaw Siouan tribe came together to host healing circles as a way to not only support each other but to support the entire tribal community. These women met monthly to share their time, love and support with each other and celebrate their own strength and happiness while also opening their hearts and sharing each others struggles. I want to conduct similar circles in my community with the local women in order to join us together as Native women in a more urban environment,” said Locklear.

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