UNITY Youth Highlight
Mazie Countryman’s first UNITY Midyear Conference gave her a national gathering with a particularly meaningful regional connection. In Phoenix in February 2024, she spent time with hundreds of Native youth while reconnecting with young people from the Northwest communities she represented.
Countryman served as Northwest 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 develops leadership through cooperation and service. Meeting regional youth at a national gathering brought that purpose into personal conversations.
“I really enjoyed my time in Phoenix Arizona for the UNITY 2024 Midyear conference,” she wrote. “It was heartwarming to see and talk to youth from the Northwest Region as well.”
Those meetings followed months of outreach. In her December report, Countryman described contacting youth councils about Midyear and National Conference opportunities. She also met virtually with Kiis Youth Council from communities around Seattle, introduced herself, and gave a presentation about UNITY.
The Midyear experience added an in-person setting to that work. Youth she had sought to connect with could gather within the wider UNITY community, and she could spend time listening and visiting with people from her region.
Countryman’s leadership also remained connected with service close to home. In January, she helped serve the feast at the Fort Hall Round Dance alongside the Fort Hall Youth Council and attended youth council meetings and the American Falls High School Powwow.
Her related reports show how regional representation moves between different settings: sharing information online, supporting a local council, and connecting with youth at a conference. Each creates another opportunity to build the relationships that sustain involvement.
“It was nice to be surrounded by hundreds of Native American Youth,” she shared. That sense of belonging connects with UNITY’s emphasis on cultural identity and social development alongside leadership.
For Countryman, her first Midyear was both a new experience and a continuation of her regional work—time to meet peers, strengthen connections, and see Northwest youth as part of a larger national community.
