Youth Councils in Action
Jalen Harvey’s September 2023 activities connected youth wellness, cultural learning, and opportunities to practice public leadership. Between a prevention webinar, youth council inauguration, community presentations, and her first emcee role, she encountered several ways young people were supporting one another.
Harvey, who identifies as Navajo, Acoma Pueblo, and Hopi, served as Western Representative in UNITY’s 2023–2024 National UNITY Council Executive Committee cohort. The cohort represents Native youth perspectives, connects regional councils and individual members, and develops leadership through cooperation and service.
On September 7, she attended UNITY’s Suicide Prevention Tools for Native Youth webinar. She described the discussion as sensitive but filled with needed information, connecting her leadership development with learning about youth well-being.
She also attended the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Youth Council inauguration, witnessing members take their oath of office. Hearing about the council’s work in Fort McDowell and Fountain Hills reinforced her appreciation for youth organizations grounded in physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being.
With Native SOAR students, Harvey visited the University of Arizona microcampus serving the Pascua Yaqui Tribe on September 14. Learning about its opportunities and resources added an educational connection to the month’s activities.
On September 20, Phoenix Indian Center invited her to speak in its Community Organizer’s Spotlight webinar. She presented about F.I.N.A.L. Youth Council and its impact on her life, drawing on her own experience to explain what council involvement can mean for a young person.
At the Young River People’s Council Native Youth Identity Conference on September 23, she heard Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Councilmember Jacob Butler and attended workshops involving a traditional game, poetry and writing, and a life-skills activity. The gathering ended with a social dance.
Her first experience as an emcee came September 30, when 61st Miss Indian Arizona Sistine Lewis invited her to serve as mistress of ceremonies at an Indigenous Youth Gathering and Social. “I was truly grateful to have been asked and be able to partake in this outstanding event!” Harvey wrote.
Together, these responsibilities connected UNITY’s holistic development goals with actual practice: learning prevention information, witnessing youth governance, sharing a council experience publicly, exploring cultural expression, and helping guide a gathering. Harvey’s account shows confidence growing through participation and relationships with people creating opportunities for Native youth.
