Courtesy/IAD

IAD News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Indian Affairs Department’s (IAD) Indigenous Youth Council (IYC) is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 IYC cohort.

They invite submissions from Indigenous youth in New Mexico aged 16 to 25 who would like to serve on the council during the next phase of work. 

They seek Indigenous youth who want to be heard and represented in crucial decision-making processes and ensure that their concerns are addressed in tribal and state issues. By advancing the IYC’s objective and purpose of increasing support for Indigenous youth’s holistic health and well-being across New Mexico, Indigenous youth will have the infrastructure to produce recommendations for and by Native youth through the IYC and tribal youth councils throughout New Mexico. 

The IYC was formed in February 2021 following two listening sessions that the New Mexico IAD held with tribal youth from across the state. Issues discussed ranged from the desire to have access to higher education resources to behavioral and mental health needs for tribal communities. Participants also voiced the desire to have more intertribal connections between the Nations, Tribes, and Pueblos in the state. 

The IAD will select members representing the 23 Nations, Tribes, and Pueblos to engage with the department and help steer the work related to the issues raised at the listening sessions. IAD provides this space for youth to come together to share mutual experiences, collaborate on shared initiatives, and build community. 

Visit https://www.iad.state.nm.us/from-the-office/indigenous-youth-council for more information.