benjaminalv 2018, Dine/Navajo, Native Youth

Last blog of NY2C! :(( Ben

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My 2nd year here and it was so much fun! The kids here are so much fun and they have a good vibe around them. I bonded with all of them and I became friends with all of them as well. The mentors were also great as well, they explained their opinion about the topics that really helped. The teachers and elders taught me so much, I  can’t wait to take in more knowledge. This experience made me think about my future and my career path. It makes me use to college and I’ll be ready when college comes around. To all the seniors: I had so much fun with you guys!! I will miss you all! You guys made this fun and I hope for the best for your future! Thank you to everyone that came here and impacted this trip for me. See you next year NY2C!!!

jimmydean2018 2018, applications, Environmental Law, Events, Life Skills, Mentors, Native Culture, Native Youth, pipeline program, Telling Your Story, writing

Thank Yous and Takeaways by James Fenelon

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The Native Youth to College program (NY2C) is now coming to an end it is appropriate to say a couple words of farewell. The first words go out to the elders which are the reason any of the activities within the program were possible. They did a great job of mixing fun with learning and deciding which times were appropriate for which. Julia, Scott, and the mentors did an excellent job of guiding the youth. Without them we would not have any foundations to build upon. From those foundations there were many takeaways from the program. NY2C wove together getting into college, college life, as well as importance of culture. Every student shined during the two weeks while we were together. I am going to miss all of the family I have gained here. Hopefully we do not forget one another and that our roads cross in the future. Notice how the final words are farewells and not goodbyes, this is because we will see each other in the future in one form or another.

tyvongrey2001 2018, Angela Mooney D'Arcy, applications, Dine/Navajo, Environmental Law, Hector Perez Pacheco, Indigenous Games, Mayan Math, Mentors, writing

Beginning of the End of the Program: Tyvon Greyeyes

Sadly this day marks the beginning of the end for Mayan Math, Indigenous Games, and even Blogging. First I’d like to thank our elders Julia, and Mahti, our teachers Santos, Shelva, Angela, and Val for the life changing information that will benefit me in the future. We learned about Environmental Law, Applying for College, Mayan Math, and many more interesting topics that I will do my best to apply to my tribe and local community. The most impactful thing that I learned from this program was environmental law because it shows how much we need to improve the quality and beauty of our Mother Earth. Another topic that impacted me was when Bradley Henson came for a presentation about how we can mix western medicine with traditional medicine which opened my eyes to new ways to help our communities. Finally I’d like to thank all of those who provided this crazy fun experience for me and overall be my friends and teachers throughout the program.

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tyvongrey2001 2018, Dine/Navajo, Mayan Math, Uncategorized

Tyvon’s thoughts of the last few days

Sadly the program is coming to a close and that point in which we will all say goodbye but we still have time. The few days have been packed with fun activities such as the Pitzer and Pomona college tours have had me interested in the choosing these colleges after high school. But I am drifting toward applying for Pomona because they have a great STEM program and the local environment is very friendly for everyone. The Limu islands tour was also another an amazing experience since I had the honor to appreciate the beauty of the island and the culture of the Chumash people. And today the presentation with Bradley Henson who taught us how herbal medicines used by indigenous peoples actually may have health benefits better than modern medicine and how we can apply this towards our communities. So this program has provided me with new experiences that will benefit me in the future so I say thanks to all the staff, mentors and the people behind the scenes who made this possible for me.

benjaminalv 2018, Dine/Navajo, Higher Education

Reflection about the last few days- Ben

Two days ago we basket weaved and it was a great experience! Although I did it last year, I still needed to get help. While I was in the middle of my basket, my main part of the basket broke on me. So I ended up doing a small basket but it still turned out great. Yesterday we had a class about “what we are leaving behind?”. It was a good topic because it made me think about what I’m going to contribute to the next generation.  Today we had a talk about Green energy and jobs. The topic was good and the people that presented the information made me want to see about that career. After that we had a tour of Pomona College and it expanded my mind to this opportunity. I found out some information and I’m considering the college but I’m still not sure about my career choice, lol. Just after that we had a class about Anatomy and Animation. It was cool but the coolest part was meeting a lady who did designs in movies I watched as a kid. It was like meeting a celebrity. Today was very productive and I hope the next few days are going to be the same.

jimmydean2018 2018, Health Science, Ojibwe, Western University of Health Sciences, WesternU

Weaving Worlds of Medicine by James Fenelon

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The weaving of modern medicine and native medicine is key to the progression of the medical field. As mentioned by Dr. Henson, old native sources of foods like the Chaga mushroom can be the answer to complex illnesses like cancer. Bradley Henson was pushed to desperation to find a treatment for his father’s liver cancer. He then turned to the Chaga mushroom of his ancestors. This treatment helped significantly with his father’s illness. While we cannot dismiss the major leaps forward we’ve had in modern medicine, we should consider treatments from different cultural backgrounds on an equal playing field when doing tests. Native communities hold more answers than we think, we just have to learn to listen.

tyvongrey2001 2018, Dine/Navajo, Uncategorized

Analysis of My Photoshop Piece

The Photoshop piece that I made was with the Bears Ears behind me with me in front protesting with a protect bears ears board, a deer in the middle of the road, and finally a map of what will happen if we allow companies to start extracting on these lands. Well first of all the national monument established by Barack Obama, then it  was reduced by 85% President Trump did this to increase the jobs in the area which will have disastrous effects on the local ecosystem and destroy the sacred place for Navajos, Hopis, Zunis, and Ute. The deer in the picture represents the local wildlife which will be forced to move to another location due to the effects that are to come. I am protesting in the front of the picture to represent my full support for the protection of this beautiful and sacred site. If we stand together we can save this national monument and we may be even able to save the countless sacred sites for indigenous people all over the U.S and maybe even the world.

Tyvons Bears Ears Project

yellowsunrey 2018, Chumash, Health Science, Indigenous Games, Life Skills, Native Culture, Native Youth, Uncategorized

Ja-Rey in her element

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My best friend was shipped in last night to start the NY2C program a whole week late. Yeah a whoooole long week but she was at another summer camp so ya know it was all good. This passed week we had been disconnected from the world obsessed with speed and slowed down a bit to ground ourselves with the love of culture. We were invited to Wishtoyo and got to stay 4 great days on the restored village site of the Chumash people. I cant even begin to explain the amount of love I felt leaving those lands on our final day.  Those who have dedicated their lives to the culture and who took time to greet and care for us those 4 days are the most amazing people I have every meet. We did so many activities, like kayaking and snorkeling on Limuw island which is the origin place of the Chumash people. through all of that my most beautiful memory d at Wishtoyo is spending many hours of the day learning Chumash native songs and stories. sitting in front of the fire offering prays  was the best night. It reminded me of the pwoer within our culture and ourselves. It was an amazing experience and ooooh i slept outside every night too. (fun fact: you cant see the moon because of light pollution from the city)

benjaminalv 2018, Dine/Navajo, Field Trips, Native Youth, Wishtoyo Village

The 3 days at Wishtoyo! -Ben

The four days/three nights, that’s how long we have been having fun! The first day was great, they welcomed us with open arms and open hearts. As always the food was really great, the homemade meals made me not feel homesick. The 2nd day was AMAZING! I’ve never been to the Limuw Island before and it was so beautiful! The boat ride was an amazing experience. I saw animals that I wont see in Arizona. At the island I went snorkeling and kayaking. I had never done those two things and it was so much fun!  29542000398_7d34fd8524_z

The 3rd day we shuck Abalone. The experience was fun, it felt weird but it was satisfying. Although we didn’t eat any, I had soo much fun!42510234965_0b9bd63c48_z

Just like every year Wishtoyo was so amazing! I can’t wait to come back next year to see it again!

R.I.P Sho Shoi