UNITY Youth Highlight
Thorn Grove’s experience at the 80th Annual National Congress of American Indians Convention brought UNITY youth leadership into a space shaped by tribal governance and national Native priorities. Attending November 13–16, 2023 in New Orleans, he had an opportunity to meet leaders and consider how the initiative practiced in youth organizations carries into broader public life.
Grove attended with UNITY Co-Presidents Jonathan Arakawa and Katy Johnston and Southern Plains Representative Mahiya Ramirez. Their participation placed regional and national youth representatives alongside people working across Indian Country, creating opportunities to learn through conversations and observation.
As Southeast Representative, Grove belonged to UNITY’s 2023–2024 National UNITY Council Executive Committee cohort. The cohort represents Native youth perspectives, connects regional councils and individual members, and supports young leaders as they address shared concerns through cooperation and service.
“Attending the convention allowed me to not only meet prominent leaders throughout Indian country but also experience the leadership and initiative that UNITY prepares youth for,” Grove wrote in his January 21 report.
His reflection identifies a concrete connection between the convention and his UNITY role. Youth leadership involves communicating across communities, listening to different priorities, and taking responsibility within a group. At NCAI, Grove could see those practices operating in a wider setting and consider how his own development related to them.
The convention followed other experiences he reported from the same fall. At the Lumbee Tribe’s Dance of the Harvest Moon Powwow, he worked with Earth Ambassador Liliana Mars at a UNITY information booth. At the AISES conference, he joined fellow North Carolina State University students to explore Indigenous participation in STEM and opportunities after college.
Those experiences broaden the picture of his responsibilities. Community outreach asked him to explain opportunities to other youth; AISES supported educational and career exploration; NCAI offered exposure to established leadership across Indian Country. Each placed relationship-building and communication in a different context.
For Grove, the convention’s value was the chance to connect those experiences with the future of his own service. His report describes leadership development as an ongoing practice—learning from people already carrying responsibility while strengthening the skills needed to contribute within his region and beyond.
