Native American youth gather in DC for inaugural summit

This effort crossed a significant milestone July 9, when more than 1,000 Native youth from across the country participated in the first White House Tribal Youth Gathering.

President Barack Obama had called for the meeting in April as part of his Generation Indigenous, or Gen-I, initiative. Following that came plans to improve education and employment opportunities for Indian youth and a national network was formed, with tribal youth chosen as ambassadors.

The goal is to remove barriers that keep young people from reaching their potential.

Another Northland tribe was also represented at the gathering. Some of the topics on the list for discussion include education, health, justice, economic opportunity, climate change, and cultural preservation.

From New Mexico’s pueblos to Midwest reservations, almost one-third of American Indian youths live in poverty, according to federal statistics.

“Young people, just like you were sent to boarding schools designed to strip them of their language, culture and history and your religions and ceremonies were outlawed by so-called civilization regulations”, Obama said.

Mrs. Obama recalled hearing “heart-wrenching stories” of substance abuse and other crises during last year’s visit but said the storytellers were looking to the future, not giving up.

When the President announced the initiative, he said and the First Lady walked away from those conversations “shaken because some of these kids were carrying burden no young person should have to carry”.

The conference featured several prominent speakers, including Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and the first lady as the keynote speaker for the day.

Zunneh-bah, who will begin her studies at Colorado College next month, said she wants to serve as a role model for other Native youth attending the White House event. Michelle Obama on Thursday told hundreds of Native American youth that they are all precious and sacred and that?each of you was put on this earth for a reason.? “It is not very often where I get choked up, so they [White House staff members] knew I was serious about this”.

In this photo taken on May 1, 2015, 16-year-old Miguel Wambli stands at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Porcupine, S.D. This money will allow these communities to move towards gaining more control of their schools, which are now run by the Bureau of Indian Education. For Miguel Wambli, 16, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, it’s creating a newspaper that will be fueled by Native students’ writings. Some students have projects aimed at raising awareness, while Wambli believes a newspaper would give teenagers an outlet. “I also applaud the President for committing the full force of his Cabinet to supporting Native youth, for forging partnerships with groups like the Center for Native American Youth, UNITY, and NCAI to make tomorrow’s White House Tribal Youth Gathering a reality”, said Jewell. Along with the generation “I” movement the Obama Administration has a long list of programs they have set out to help native youth.