Empowering the next generation: 2025 Champions for Change

Shondiin Mayo
ICT

The Center for Native American Youth has announced its 2025 Champions for Change cohort. The program aims to cultivate future leaders dedicated to enhancing their communities through hands-on training.

Three months into the yearlong program, participants began their experience with “Champs Week” in mid-February, held from the 9th to the 14th in Washington, D.C. This event marked their first opportunity to meet one another while also improving their public speaking and advocacy skills on Capitol Hill. The training involved leveraging the center’s extensive network to provide valuable insights from leaders like Samuel Hiratsuka, a staff member for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, who shared advice on how to engage in meetings and meaningful conversations with politicians. As well as insights from former champions like Anthony Tamez, a 2018 Champion for Change, who is now an elected member of Chicago’s Police District Council and helped this year’s cohort develop their public speaking during Champs Week.

The program is never the same, as each year is different, with trainings tailored to each class of Champs according to their interests. Jamie Levitt, the communications manager, says, “We build each curriculum through an Indigenous framework, which includes tribally based participatory methods.” This reflects the program’s culturally responsive approach, with Indigenous ways of knowing at the forefront. Structurally, this also includes monthly meetings throughout the year and opportunities to represent themselves at conferences and events.

The current cohort includes: Lourdes Pereira, Hia-Ced O’odham/Tohono O’odham; Maiyuraq Nanouk Jones, Native Village of Unalakleet; Katie Lynch, Citizen Potawatomi Nation; Joshua Ching, Native Hawaiian; and Lily Painter, Kiowa/Winnebago.

Katie Lynch, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan focusing on Health Infrastructures and Learning Systems, has completed three internships in the policy field. One of these internships was with the Biden and Harris administration, where she worked in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. This experience has given her valuable insights and skills in the Washington policy landscape. Motivated by the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on Indigenous communities, Lynch has dedicated her advocacy efforts to public health and policy reform. During Champs Week she had the opportunity to engage directly with her representatives with the hopes of impacting tangible change.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Lynch approached the staffs of New Jersey Democratic senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim with the intent of building relationships, while emphasizing the importance of tribal issues, particularly in Indigenous healthcare.

“I was able to learn a lot about their priorities and ways that we can really work together in order to make their offices more accessible for Native communities in New Jersey,” Lynch said.

She went on to explain that the absence of federally recognized tribes in New Jersey does not diminish the significance of state-recognized tribes, whose perspectives are crucial and should not be overlooked in discussions of power.

Lourdes Pereira, San Lucie district of the Tohono O’odham Nation, has been aware of the program and the positive impact and the support it provides in cultivating future leaders since high school. She is a program specialist for the Native-owned professional services company, Tribal Tech, LLC. She earned her bachelor’s degree in American Indian Studies and Justice Studies from Arizona State University in 2023. She intends to pursue a master’s in information sciences at the University of Washington this fall. She is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting traditional knowledge.

During her visit to Capitol Hill, Pereira spoke to Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat from Arizona, about border patrol relations as they relate to her community’s location along 62 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Tohono O’odham’s traditional lands were purchased by the United States from Mexico, dividing and separating their communities on either side of the new border.

The Tohono O’odham Nation is federally recognized and includes 34,000 members, with more than 2,000 residing in Mexico.

“I shouldn’t be scared to step on my reservation. … The Tohono O’odham nation is the size of Connecticut,” Pereira said.

During “Champs Week,” Ching engaged with Hawaii’s entirely Democratic congressional delegation. A native of Hawaii, he is currently studying Political Science and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University. Despite the challenges posed by the current administration, he found several opportunities for optimism, engaging in discussions about potential bipartisan initiatives. Notable among these is the 2024 Clean State Act, along with in-depth conversations with representatives regarding NAGPRA procedures in U.S. territories. He also advocated for university students of Indigenous heritage.

“I think something that’s had especially increased salience in recent days is protecting Native student affinity groups in institutions that receive federal funding,” Ching said.

Ching expressed concern that such funding could threaten the services and programs available to Native youth.

Ultimately, while away from home for his studies, he remains focused on the importance of staying connected to his community and heritage, as well as driving change, even from a distance.

“[I] find community in places that are far from my ancestral homelands, and maintain those connections, those tethers of intimate bonds that have stretched across an ocean and a continent for me to still be here and be in these spaces and continue to talk about these issues that are impacting my people.” Ching said.

Lily Painter, a Kiowa/Winnebago artist and storyteller, is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Oklahoma. She recently shared her vision of growth and change after an opportunity to meet with representatives from her home state of Oklahoma, as well as staff members and the general counsel, during a visit to Washington.

Reflecting on the experience, Painter said it was “uncharted territory for so many Native youth.” Despite the challenges, she left with a clearer understanding of where she could make the most impact and how to best serve her community. Throughout the program, she aims to develop valuable skills for the future, and with its support, hopes to channel her passion for writing into meaningful work.

“I’m a writer, so I would love to publish something,” Painter said.

Painter shared that her writing would explore the themes and challenges faced by Indigenous communities, while also highlighting the innovative approaches they are using to overcome these obstacles. With the supportive environment the program offers and the newfound friendships she’s made, Painter may very well achieve that.

ICT was unable to connect with Maiyuraq Nanouk Jones for the scheduled interview. However, Nanouk Jones, who is Inupiat and Inuit from Unalakleet, Alaska, is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in Environmental Science at Western Washington University, focusing on Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology. Additional details regarding her work can be accessed on the CNAY website.

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