Brave Heart Fellowship
Champions for Change
CA Native Youth Collective
Remembering Our Sisters
Building Communities of Hope
Creative Native
Democracy is Indigenous
Indigenous research practices for Indigenous communities
The Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) recognizes the power of data. Our research prioritizes Indigenous best-practices and assures broad access to accurate data that reflects the collective thoughts, opinions, experiences and needs of Native youth from across the country.
Native youth are at the forefront of CNAY’s datawork:
- Identifying what information needs to be collected;
- Aiding in data collection strategies;
- Participating in qualitative and quantitative methodologies; and
- Interpreting data.
Much of this work is made possible through various partnerships with institutions and like-minded organizations working to ensure accurate data for all Indigenous Peoples. It is our hope that through continued participation in data collection, Native youth can help ensure data sovereignty for their communities. CNAY’s data work is an invaluable step towards uplifting Native youth voices and paving the way for the future they deserve.
All of our reports & publications can be found here. If you would like access to any of our project datasets, please contact Cheyenne Brady: cheyenne.brady@aspeninstitute.org
Center Us: A Native Youth Survey Report
In 2023, CNAY proudly launched Center Us: A Native Youth Survey with the goal of gathering data to better understand the needs and priorities of Native youth in areas including cultural resources, mental health and civic engagement.
Over the course of six months, CNAY hosted eight focus groups with 65 youth from different regions of the U.S., helping to center their perspectives and voices in the report.
The data collected throughout this process helped to shed light on the cultural strengths, resource gaps and priorities of Native youth across the country.
The survey was made possible through partnership with the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI), a Division of the Seattle Indian Health Board, an organization dedicated to decolonizing data to create opportunities for cultural restoration, data stewardship and collaborative partnerships. The final report was made possible through partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Indigenous Futures Project
The Indigenous Futures Project was a collaborative project between CNAY, IllumiNative and the Native Organizers Alliance. The goal was to gather and disseminate critical information and strategies about the priorities and needs of the Indigenous population in preparation for the 2020 election. The cornerstone of the project was the Indigenous Futures Survey (IFS), the first survey of its kind, created by and for Indigenous Peoples.
The survey results were compiled and analyzed by the 2020 Indigenous Futures Research Team, led by Dr. Stephanie A. Fryberg (Tulalip) and Dr. Arianne E. Eason (African American). Results were released in topic-specific reports, each of which can be found below.
From Protests, To the Ballot Box and Beyond: Building Indigenous Power
As we faced the 2020 election, it was imperative that Native Peoples’ perspectives and issues were present in conversations about the future of this country. With this report, we sought to identify the political inclinations, civic actions and democratic perspectives of Native Americans across the country.
We are the Future: A Native Youth Narrative
After primary data analysis, CNAY conducted a secondary analysis of the Native youth data and consulted a youth focus group to develop a narrative that provides a stronger youth voice to the Indigenous Futures Project. The intention of this report is to share the narrative, data and priorities specific to Indigenous youth.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Peoples
When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, it exacerbated existing inequities across the country. Specific questions about the pandemic were incorporated into the Indigenous Futures Survey, revealing just how devastating it was for Native communities.