Celebrating 2013 Champions for Change!

The Center for Native American Youth recently announced and celebrated the 2013 class of Champions for Change! Visit the Champion's individual pages to learn more about their important work and read the article from Indian Country Today Media Network to hear about their experience while visiting Washington, DC in March.


2013 Champions for Change: top row (L to R) - Joaquin Gallegos, Vance Home Gun, Dahkota Brown; bottom row (L to R) - Sarah Schilling, Cierra Fields

The Champions for Change program at the Center was inspired by a White House initiative and is designed to shine a spotlight on positive stories in Indian Country, promote hope among Native youth, and engage youth in leadership opportunities. 

The application process for the Champions for Change program launched in November 2011. In February 2013, five young leaders from Indian Country were selected to be highlighted as Champions for Change and invited to join the Center in March to celebrate their efforts and engage their youth voices in our work. Visit the Center's "What's New" blog to learn more about the Champions' visit to Washington, DC and visit individual pages to learn more about the important work being done by Dahkota, Cierra, Joaquin, Vance and Sarah.  

Thank you to everyone who applied! We want to share everyone's inspirational story of youth leadership so visit the 2013 Honorable Mentions page to read short summaries of each applicant from the Center's 2013 Champions for Change program. 

Champions for Change Program

The Center for Native American Youth is aimed at bringing greater national attention to the issues facing Native youth through communication, policy development and advocacy. To shine a spotlight on inspirational stories and promote hope in Indian Country, the Center will invites Native youth (ages 14-24) to join our work through our newest program - Champions for Change.

Each year, the Center will welcome applications from young Native American leaders who want to get involved in the Champions for Change program. The application is now closed for 2013. Our team encourages youth to learn about our 2013 Champions and Honorable Mentions, and check back to find more information about the 2014 application process.