Healthy Kids! Healthy Futures! Conference

Over 100 guests from Native youth serving organizations across the country attended the 2024 NB3 Foundation’s Healthy Kids! Healthy Futures! Conference June 16-18 at Sandia Resort & Resort in Albuquerque, NM.  This year’s attendees participated in sessions focused on how to effectively engage youth voice in their work and spaces.

This year’s theme Hear Me, Hear Us: Engaging Youth Voice to Build Healthier Communities brought in leaders and organizations who have been successful collaborating with youth to reach community health goals.

The conference started with an opening session hosted by Native youth leaders from across the state. Devyn Kahze (Pueblo of Laguna), Jasmine Mitchell (Diné), Chenoa Scipio (Santa Clara Pueblo, Diné) and Derek Capitan (Laguna Pueblo, Diné) facilitated a session on how organizations and communities can build meaningful relationships with the youth they serve.

Following the opening session, attendees attended learning and networking sessions hosted by presenters including: Positive Coaching Alliance, Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Elevate Navajo, Native Strength Revolution, Nurture Cultivate, Zuni Youth Enrichment Project, Bill Coriz Kewa educator, The BEN Initiative , Tumbleweed Nutrition and  Ho’ala ‘Aina Kupono.

Ho’ala ‘Aina Kupono and Nurture Cultivate joined us from Hawaii and shared how their youth programs rooted in culture have success engaging youth.

Great Lakes Inter Tribal Council joined us from Wisconsin and shared how their programs have had success engaging youth through elder and youth events.

Native Strength Revolution shared how the use of basic yoga techniques can help build trust and meaningful relationships with youth.

Elevate Navajo is a dedicated youth organization that focuses on mentor and youth relationships in their programs. Elevate Navajo provided tools and resources their youth leaders use to actively engage youth in program.

Zuni Youth Enrichment Project shared on their programs and how youth input drives their programs and campaigns.

Bill Coriz and educator at Santa Fe Indian School has years of experience working with Native youth. Coriz shared the tools and resources that have made him successful in his role as an educator and mentor for Native youth.

The BEN Initiative and Tumbleweed Nutrition teamed up to share how they worked with youth to increase the amount of locally grown and traditional, Indigenous foods on school lunch menus in Navajo Nation.

We’d like to thank our event sponsors BlueCross BlueShield of New Mexico and Raving for helping make the event a success.

To look back on the 2024 conference visit https://www.nb3foundation.org/hkhf-conference/

Stay tuned for dates and location for 2025!

The NB3 Foundation Youth Council had the incredible opportunity of attending the United National Indian Tribal Youth Inc. (UNITY) National Conference in Portland, Ore. June 28 to July 4. Our delegation included four youth council members, three advisors and the NB3 Foundation President and CEO. 

 

Throughout the conference, our youth actively engaged in various workshops focused on leadership, cultural preservation and community empowerment. They also had the chance to network with peers from other youth councils across the country, exchanging ideas and building lasting connections.
 

One of the highlights of the trip was the Wellness Warriors’ activities hosted at Nike Headquarters, where youth participated in fitness challenges and learned about the importance of health and wellness in Native communities.

“I enjoyed being able to participate in dances and events with many other people from around the United States,” said youth council member Corey Bird. 
 

Overall, the conference was an enriching experience that not only empowered our youth with valuable skills and knowledge, but also strengthened their sense of identity and unity within the Native American youth community.

 “It was an amazing experience. The numbers were around 3,000 youth participants. The inspirational speakers were great. The testimonies shared by the youth and advisors/sponsors were impressive; our group ideas and plans are similar to what’s going on with other youth council groups,” Bill Coriz, NB3 Foundation youth council advisor said.  

The 2023 cross country season officially came to an end at nationals on December 9 in Louisville, Kentucky. The national race was the bow on top of what was already a record-breaking year for the NB3FIT cross country team. The running club grew to 86 runners, making it the largest youth cross country club in the state! An amazing feat that would’ve been hard to imagine just a few years ago.

This year, more practice locations were opened to help make the program accessible to more youth and families. Another addition made to help make the program affordable is sliding scale scholarships. Half of the youth in the cross-country program qualified for a scholarship from the foundation to help cover registration costs.

The youth also had outstanding finishes throughout the season. A total of 27 runners qualified for nationals. The girls 8 and under team finished first place in all their races including the regional race. They continued to nationals where they finished 5^th place overall.

The team also had 6 runners tally up multiple top 5 finishes throughout the season:
Individual Top 5 Achievements

• • Charles Duffel (17 y/o)
    • 1^st place- AAT Cross Country Meet #25
    • 1^st place- Running Medicine Cross Country Meet
    • 2^nd Place- Team Haa’nu Meet
    • 3^rd place- NB3 Foundation Traditions Run
    • 2^nd place- Duke- Rise to Greatness Invitational
    • 2^nd place- USATF NM JO Championship
  • Marcus Tenorio (14 y/o)
    • 3^rd place USATF NM JO Championships
    • 2^nd place NB3 Foundation Traditions run
  • Quinton Begay (13 y/o)
    • 3^rd place NB3 Foundation Traditions Run
    • 3^rd place Dukes- Rise to Greatness XC Invitational
  • Jacqueline Durand (12 y/o)
    • 5^th place USATF NM JO Championship
  • Taymani Loretto (8 y/o)
    • 4^th place Running Medicine Cross Country Meet
    • 2^nd Place NB3 Foundation Traditions Run
    • 4^th place Dukes- Rise to Greatness XC Invitational
    • 3^rd place USATF NM JO Championship
  • Weston Grant (8 y/o)
    • 4^th place Running Medicine Cross Country Meet
    • 4^th place NB3 Foundation Traditions Run
    • 5^th place USATF NM JO Championship

Emmarina Wright, was the only runner to have perfect attendance for the whole 10-week regular season! Congrats to Emmarina and her family for the dedication to the team this season.

Each age group saw significant improvements in running times through the season:
Average improvements (previously trained and untrained runners):

• 2k runners: 2 minutes and 31 seconds
• 3k runners: 4 minutes and 47 seconds
• 4k runners: 3 minutes and 54 seconds
• 5k runners: 10 minutes and 24 seconds

At the end of the season, it’s always great to celebrate the achievements on the course and to hear about the personal successes of each runner. We look to the youth and parents/caregivers to help us learn about what the season meant to them.

From youth:

“Our team is from different tribes, but we are a family. We are special because even if we stress out the coaches, they still love us.”

“My favorite memory was getting to go new places and learning how to be a role model for the little kids.”

“At the San Felipe race I watched Marcus win 2^nd place. It made me happy because our team was winning, but also because I can run with him so I can run like him.”

From Parents:

“My son’s main focus for joining XC for the first time was to get healthy and fit. He has noticed changes in his physical abilities and has given him confidence that he can do more.”

“In the beginning my daughter was nervous, intimidated, and said it was hard. Throughout the weeks she grew more confident and was so proud of the strides she has made and was excited to be part of a team!”

“I am very glad I had my son join the XC program. He is motivated and is now in the basketball program. Even though he sees that he’s different from children his age group, he knows that it doesn’t define who he is or limit his capabilities!”

Looking ahead
After a strong cross country season, the foundation is looking forward to a having a strong showing in spring for the track and field season. The new season will start in March with registration opening up following the new year.  

86 Runners

• 48 females
• 38 males
• 100% identify as Native American
• 45 ages 8 and under (6-8)
• 30 ages 9-12
• 11 ages 13+

Communities represented:

Hopi
Acoma
Laguna
Isleta
Sandia
Tamaya
Zia
Jemez
San Felipe
Kewa
Cochiti
San Ildefonso
Santa Clara
Diné
San Carlos Apache
Kickapoo
Lakota Sioux
Tohono O’Odham

Thank you for the support of NB3FIT cross country! 

“Our soccer program relied heavily on us being in communities with youth. With shutdowns and the extended shutdowns of local communities it has made it hard for us to bring it back before now,” Clint Begay, director of NB3FIT said.  

Autumn Quiver, NB3FIT program coordinator and lead soccer coach, has been connected with the foundation since her adolescence when she was first a youth participant of the program. Now, as a longtime NB3FIT coach,  she is leading the revival of the soccer program through professional development and partnering with local schools.

“We’ve been trying to bring back soccer in the communities and decided to start by visiting the schools,” Quiver said. “In the past our participation numbers were always higher when we went to schools and brought soccer to students.”

Through a partnership with the US Soccer Foundation, Quiver visited three local schools, for two weeks, to lead soccer activities and to test curriculum feasibility in school settings. The partnership was a great way to get NB3FIT in front students, who are program age, and to help secure funding that could be used to strengthen the soccer program. 

In addition to her work in schools, Quiver has been working on her skill set in the classroom. In April, Quiver completed a two-month training and received a U.S. National D Coaching License from the US Soccer Federation.

“With getting this license I am being mindful and growing as a coach, she said. “I’ve loved and played soccer and want to provide that experience to the youth in our communities.”

The D Coaching License prepares coaches to lead teams from U6-U13 in a participation environment. The training process also teaches coaches to not only plan out sessions and run practices, but the importance of putting the player first.

“[The training] is a player-centered curriculum and focuses on being mindful of the emotional well-being of the player. How they learn, how long they can learn and understanding that though youth seem like they should learn at similar rates 7-year-olds learn a lot differently than 9-year-olds,” Quiver pointed out. 

The license, credentials and training back up everything NB3FIT is teaching, and has boosted Quiver’s confidence as the foundation gets closer to relaunching the soccer program. Looking ahead, she has her eyes set on refreshing the foundation’s decade-old soccer curriculum and making sure it is up to date with her training.

“We are excited to get back out there and plan to offer some local camps to help reintroduce ourselves into communities,” she said. “We are eager to lend our support to communities as they share the game to their youth.”

Since 2020, NB3FIT has offered more sports and activities including track and field, tennis camps, a youth golf team, and most recently a girls basketball team.  NB3FIT hopes that through visits with schools and hosting camps soccer will slowly get back in the rotation of sports they provide to Native youth.

Follow the NB3 Foundation on social media to get all updates on NB3FIT programs.