UNITY Youth Highlight
Morning Star Powwow at The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland, gave Nathan Solorio a chance to connect with Native youth councils through a community cultural gathering. In his January report, UNITY’s Northeast Representative described seeing members of both New Dawn Youth Council and LUNA Youth Council at the powwow.
“It was great to attend this powwow which brought youth councils together in the DMV area!” Solorio shared. The gathering connected youth from the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area in a setting that included families and the wider Native community.
Solorio, a member of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, served in the 2023–2024 National UNITY Council Executive Committee cohort. The committee brings regional representatives and co-presidents together to represent youth perspectives, connect councils, and strengthen Native youth leadership. Attending a gathering where councils were already present supported the relationship-building side of that responsibility.
His report highlights participation and connection rather than an event he organized. The powwow provided the setting; the youth councils and community members brought their own relationships and involvement. Solorio’s account recognizes that regional leadership develops within those existing community networks.
The encounter with LUNA and New Dawn also connects with earlier updates. Solorio worked with LUNA Youth Council at the Native American Lifelines Fall Harvest Health Fair in Baltimore and later highlighted New Dawn’s Christmas celebration in New Jersey. Seeing those councils at another gathering gave continuity to his regional reporting.
Cultural events can serve several purposes for a youth representative: maintaining relationships, meeting interested young people, and seeing councils’ involvement beyond a formal UNITY conference. In Solorio’s account, those purposes came together through attendance at the powwow.
The experience aligns with UNITY’s focus on social and spiritual development through community connection and cultural identity. Bringing councils together in a community setting gave young people another opportunity to be present with one another and helped Solorio sustain relationships beyond a single meeting or conference.
His reflection places value on that ongoing presence. Supporting regional leadership meant continuing to show up, recognize councils, and build connections in the places where Native youth and their communities gather.
