Physical Address
357 Agency Rd,
Lapwai, ID 83540
Physical Address
357 Agency Rd,
Lapwai, ID 83540
Backstory on NAHOVA:
In 2019 the Students for Success (SFS) program started a youth council. Grant funding allowed for us to pay council members ($30) to attend meetings, up to 10 youth, and for 1 meeting per month. To say it was a struggle to recruit youth and young adults is an understatement, not even $30 to attend meetings was enough to entice anyone consistently. During this challenging period the name for the youth council was chosen, Native America Hear Our Voices Arise, (NAHOVA, as they are known.)
Then the pandemic arrived, and it had the potential to derail any progress we made on establishing the council, but fortunately, it did the opposite. NAHOVA board members created take home kits for families with accompanying videos or links to videos, and in most cases, paper copies of instructions. It seems as if the pandemic created chemistry with the board members as they worked together to help their peers and communities. NAHOVA also added more members during this time.
SFS and NAHOVA had to postpone their outdoor activities and planning for their first ever Gathering of Native Americans (GONA,) in 2020. NAHOVA did not want to do a virtual GONA. They also had to wait another year to attend youth leadership trainings.
In 2021 as the nation came out of the pandemic slowly, NAHOVA began planning their in-person GONA and fundraising for their trip to their first ever National UNITY Conference in Dallas, Texas. In July 2021, 10 NAHOVA members attended UNITY, for some it was their first ever time flying. Because of Covid restrictions the conference was limited to less than 1,000 participants, however this was by far the largest conference any of the youth had attended. During this conference, several members of NAHOVA attended a workshop about conducting a GONA, and they used this information to help plan their own GONA, which they held in August 2021. Later that year they became an official UNITY Youth Council, which requires an annual fee, submitting reports, and sending representatives to the UNITY Business Council meeting, where all tribal youth councils meet during the National Conference.
NAHOVA goes National!
Fast forward to 2023, the NAHOVA youth board was selected to conduct two different presentations at the 2023 UNITY National Conference in Washington DC. The first one they conducted was about leading a youth Gathering of Native Americans (GONA.) Just a couple of years ago (2021) they were attending GONA learning sessions in Dallas, Texas at UNITY because they had no idea how to implement a GONA or what a GONA was and in 2023, they were conducting a presentation in Washington DC to Native youth from all over the country on how to implement a GONA!! In just two short years they went from the student to the teachers! Their GONA session had a large audience. Facilitators were Joseph Payne, Graciela Broncheau, Quintana Lozon, Keilan Arthur, Abigail Whitman, and Sicily Treetop. NAHOVA kept the audience engaged and when it was all over no one wanted to leave! Over 75 youth attended the session!
NAHOVA and Students for Success were also selected to conduct (4) breakout presentations at the 2023 National UNITY Conference. They presented about Hope and overcoming resiliency. They shared personal stories and did some extremely exciting icebreakers! The room was full at every session, and we had youth asking to return to the session over and over. The presentation was the perfect combination of learning and fun! SFS and NAHOVA worked on this presentation for several months and it was nice to see it be a huge success!
NAHOVA accomplished many awesome things from 2021 to today, including being awarded the 2022 State of Idaho Outstanding Youth Prevention Group Award.
In the fall of 2023 at the first meeting of the new year for NAHOVA there were over 25 potential new members and returning members present! As the year went by more youth and young adults joined NAHOVA, bringing the total over 40 active members at one point. This was an astonishing moment because for almost two years NAHOVA was able to hold their monthly meetings in the SFS office because it fit the 3-8 members who would show up to meetings. Now even the Boards and Commission building was not large enough for NAHOVA meetings.
NAHOVA 2024 National Youth Council of the Year
Students for Success took 25 NAHOVA youth board members to the UNITY National Conference in Portland, Oregon, in July 2024. The 2024 UNITY Conference was the largest conference ever, with over 2,700 Native youth from across the country. NAHOVA was represented by tribal members from Kamiah, Kooskia, Orofino, Lapwai, and Clarkston.
NAHOVA youth board members Weetulu Nish, Abigail Whitman, Graciela Broncheau, and Emma Paddlety were guest Emcee’s for the conference and did an excellent job hyping up the large crowd!
NAHOVA members Joey Payne, Isias Johnson, and Graciela Broncheau along with SFS staff member Shannon Nicholai conducted a presentation about the impact of screen time on mental health. Their sessions were full of energy and filled to maximum capacity.
NAHOVA officers Quintana Lozon and Abigail Whitman represented the Nez Perce Tribe at the Annual UNITY Business Council Meeting, the meeting where all the tribal youth councils meet and discuss current issues.
On July 2nd NAHOVA and SFS staff attended the Gala. The night begins with a Fashion Show and transitions into an awards night. There is much anticipation for the UNITY Advisor of the Year and Youth Council of the Year awards. This year as the speaker announced the awards, they displayed the awardee name and tribe on the big screens, and as they announced Youth Council of the Year, the Nez Perce Tribe NAHOVA name popped up on the screen. NAHOVA members were seated at three tables and each table jumped up in joy! In the video you could hear kids saying, ‘we did it!’ There were many smiles and occasional warhoops, as well as tears of happiness. It is a quite an accomplishment for this group of young leaders, especially in a short three-year period, they accomplished a lot of good things! They are well-deserving.
National Youth Council of the Year.
On behalf of the Students for Success program I would like to thank all the NAHOVA youth members, current and past members, for their time, dedication, and passion for helping their peers and communities. Would also like to thank my staff for being excellent advisors for the youth board and going above and beyond to create an environment that is inclusive and safe. I am proud of you all!
This article was submitted by Abe Broncheau, NPT Students for Success Director
All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the author are solely that of the author and do not reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Nez Perce Tribe or its Communications Department.