Thirteen Indigenous interns from the Udall Native American Congressional Internship joined the Center for Native American Youth at The Aspen Institute for a roundtable discussion on July 9. The Udall Internship Program places undergraduate,
graduate, and law students in Senate, House, and federal agency offices to learn firsthand how the US government works with Native nations. This understanding
of the nation to nation relationship, along with hands-on experience, provides valuable tools to help advance individual students’ tribes.
During the discussion, interns learned about CNAY’s work, the Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) initiative, and the Gen-I National Native Youth Network. CNAY staff shared their
perspectives on living and working in DC, and emphasized the importance of cultural and community connections in our work.Interns then shared
their own backgrounds and described current experiences from their respective internship placements.The group is excited to be in DC and many
expressed an interest in sharing what they learned from CNAY with their communities back home.