Native students soar at annual Youth Leadership Summit

Versheena Dempsey from the Chinle Department of Youth conquers her fears as she is encouraged by other youth participants during the annual Futures for Children Youth Leadership Summit held June 7-13 on the NAU campus (Photo courtesy of Apryl Joe, Futures for Children).

Versheena Dempsey from the Chinle Department of Youth conquers her fears as she is encouraged by other youth participants during the annual Futures for Children Youth Leadership Summit held June 7-13 on the NAU campus (Photo courtesy of Apryl Joe, Futures for Children).

FLAGSTAFF-It was a weekend of many firsts for Versheena Dempsey of Chinle. She found herself soaring through the treetops, learning about global climate change, making new friends, and visiting a college campus for the first time. She also discovered that she has the strength within herself to accomplish her goals.

Dempsey was part of the Futures for Children Youth Leadership Summit held June 7-13 at Northern Arizona University. Sixty students from grades eight through twelve from the Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo tribes joined Dempsey for a weekend of activities centered on leadership and teamwork skill building. Strangers at the beginning of the weekend, these high school leadership students learned to work together as teammates and leaders.

A favorite event, the high ropes course, challenged students to develop and practice team dynamics.

"There was amazing support from all team members when tackling a challenge upon the course," observed Apryl Joe, Futures for Children regional coordinator. "The team members on the ground were cheering each other on, and also giving tips on how to accomplish the task at hand."

"Initially, Veneesha did not want to try the high ropes courses," recalls Joe. "However, with the support of her team members and by discovering her great inner strength she decided to give it a try. Dempsey tackled the challenge and [ended up climbing to the top]... Seeing her face her fears gave other team members courage and inspiration."

Partnering with the NAU Environmental Education Outreach Program (EEOP), workshops during the Summit centered on the theme of the weekend, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

The program included native plant conservation, global climate change and sustainability. Student teams also learned about and competed in Indigenous games, facilitated by Bob Nakaidinae of "Red Journey." For most of these students, it was also their first time sleeping in college dorms, eating in campus dining halls, and visiting university classrooms.

Held annually, the Youth Leadership Summit is hosted by Futures for Children, a non-profit organization based in Albuquerque, N.M., as part of its Youth Leadership program. Youth Leadership is a fun, hands-on approach designed to encourage and enhance Native American students' skills, self-confidence and leadership abilities.

Futures for Children provides free curricula, training and continued support to each Youth Leadership group as well as hosting an annual Summit. It began in 1986 with just a handful of students enrolled, but today, the Youth Leadership program has grown to an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students.

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